Secrets and Surprises
by Forlay
Summary: Buttercup is keeping a secret from her sisters, a secret that they'd never understand, even if they knew. But has that ever stopped the Girls before?
1. Arguments

_Author's Note: My first PpG fic! Oh, I feel so happy! ~sniff~ Also my first attempt at writing a story and publishing it in chapters in a _long_ time. It's a fic of firsts! Because not only is it my first PpG fic in general, but it's my first PpG _slash_ fic. Yeah, I'm slashing two girls, but not two Powerpuff Girls (can't bring myself to write that...yet). So sit back and enjoy the first part of many...._   
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#  ****

Secrets and Surprises 

##  ****

By: Forlay 

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Chapter One - Arguments  "Buttercup?"   
"Buttercup!"   
"BUTTERCUP!!!"   
Buttercup looked up from her notebook at her two sisters. "What?" she demanded.   
"What are you doing?" Bubbles asked innocently.   
Buttercup tried to cover her notebook paper with her hands. "Nothing."   
"Really?" Blossom asked. "You were pretty wrapped up in it for it to be 'nothing.' Let me see." She made a grab for the notebook, but Buttercup was quick to snatch up the whole notebook and float over her sisters' heads.   
"Not a chance!" Buttercup told her sisters, who were now floating just below her.   
"Oh, come on, Buttercup!" Bubbles whined. "You look at all my drawings and stuff all the time, why can't we look at yours?"   
"This is nothing like your stupid crayon scribbles," Buttercup said indignantly.   
"Then what is it?" Blossom asked. "It can't be homework, you never do it anyway. So...is it a letter?"   
"No."   
"A note?" Bubbles asked.   
"That's the same thing as a letter, stupid," Buttercup said.   
"Nuh-uh," Bubbles replied. "A letter is long and stuff while a note is just short."   
Buttercup rolled her eyes. "It's not a letter, it's not a note, and most of all, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Keeping near the ceiling, Buttercup flew off, her sisters flying in pursuit just a moment later.   
"If you let us see it we'll leave you alone," Blossom tried bribing her sister.   
"Hah! Yeah, right," Buttercup called over her shoulder.   
"Girls?" the Professor called from the living room.   
The Girls halted in mid air. "Yes, Professor?" they called dutifully in unison.   
"Everything all right?"   
Buttercup began to call out an answer, but Blossom and Buttercup shouted louder, "No!" And the chase resumed.   
Buttercup zoomed down the stairs, flying just over the Professors head and rattling his newspaper. Blossom and Bubbles followed.   
Buttercup cut tight corners, pulled away just before hitting walls and doors. Blossom and Bubbles matched every move.   
Buttercup flew under the kitchen table, weaved between the chair legs and barely missed hitting the refrigerator and yet Blossom and Bubbles never hesitated, never moved their eyes from the prize of Buttercup's notebook.   
Finally desperate to loose her sisters, Buttercup flew to the couch and sat on the Professor's lap. The Professor didn't ask his panting daughter what was wrong, he simply smiled at her and went back to his newspaper. Blossom saw her chance and took hit. She flew so fast she was only a streak of pink light and she snatched the notebook from her sister's hands.   
"Hey!" Buttercup shouted. "Give that back Blossom!"   
"No," Blossom said, quite smug.   
"I swear, Blossom, if you read that notebook I'll...."   
"You'll what?"   
"ARGH!" Buttercup jumped from the couch and tackled her sister.   
The Professor looked up just as Buttercup was getting ready to deliver a punch to Blossom's face. He jumped up and pulled Buttercup away just in time.   
"Girls! What is wrong with you?!"   
"They started it," Buttercup insisted.   
"Did not," Bubbles said.   
"Did too."   
"Did not."   
"Too."   
"Not."   
"Too."   
"N-"   
"Enough!" the Professor ordered. "Girls, you're 12 years old, not five! There's no reason to bicker like children. Now, will someone please tell me what is going on?"   
"Blossom stole my notebook," Buttercup said quickly.   
"Because she won't tell us what's in it," Blossom said to defend herself.   
"That's because it's _private_," Buttercup said. "Do you understand that, Ms. Smarty pants?"   
"You're supposed to share," Bubbles said quietly.   
"Not everything, stupid!"   
"Don't call your sister stupid, Buttercup," the Professor reprimanded mildly. "Now Girls, you're old enough to know that you are each entitled to a little privacy. Bubbles, you don't like it when Buttercup steals your drawings, and Blossom, you don't like it when Buttercup uses your computer without asking. Do you think she likes it when you take her notebook, which she has obviously told you _not_ to read?" Blossom and Bubbles looked down at the floor, not answering. "Blossom, will you give your sister her notebook back?" Blossom sighed and handed the book back to Buttercup, who snatched it back and held it close to her chest. "And don't you have something it say?"   
Blossom and Bubbles exchanged glances before saying in monotonous unison, "Sorry, Buttercup."   
Buttercup didn't answer, she simply kept her notebook clutched tight and floated up to her bedroom. 


	2. Discoveries

#  **Secrets and Surprises**

**Chapter Two - Discoveries**

Blossom spent the rest of the afternoon at the kitchen table, trying to work on homework, but her mind kept drifting back to her sister's notebook. What could be in there that Buttercup felt needed to be kept secret? It was one mystery, Blossom knew, that couldn't be solved no matter how much she analyzed the little information she had. Buttercup was too impulsive to develop a habit and stick to it for any ammount of time.   
So she developed a plan.   
Blossom acted sorry when she saw Buttercup at dinner that evening, and was sure to let her have the bathroom first before they went to bed. Buttercup, as well as Bubbles, gave her some odd looks, but didn't say anything. Buttercup was playing into the plan perfectly.   
After the Professor turned out the lights in the room the Girls still shared, Blossom closed her eyes, pretending to sleep until she heard her sister's fall asleep, Bubbles snoring lightly and Buttercup breathing deep and even. Now was her chance.   
She floated out of her bed to Buttercup's bright green dresser and quietly opened the bottom drawer, Buttercup's underwear drawer, the most obvious place to hide something you didn't want your sister to find.   
Buttercup proved to be as predictable as she often was when it came to subtle matters such as secrecy. The notebook wasn't even buried, just laying on top of Buttercup's undergarments. Blossom looked around quickly, but her sisters were still fast asleep. She took out the notebook, carefully shut the drawer, and carried the notebook to the bathroom where she could turn on a light and read it.   
Blossom rolled up towels and placed them on the floor by the door, not wanting anyone to see the light and come to investigate. Feeling sufficiently secure, Blossom sat on the counter and opened the notebook.   
The first several pages were boring, once Blossom had deciphered Buttercup's terrible writing enough to understand what was being said. Mostly they were complaints: about school, about the kids at school, about Blossom and Bubbles, about the Professor, nothing surprising, or secret, there. So what was so important that Buttercup had to keep secret?   
Abruptly, Blossom came across an empty page, and she still hadn't found anything even remotely interesting in the notebook. Was Buttercup just trying to mess with her and Bubble's heads?   
Blossom flipped ahead a few more pages, to see if Buttercup had simply skipped the pages for reasons only she would ever understand, and was rewarded with a page full of doodles. The most prominent was a large scribble in the center of the page, two sets of initials, B.U. + A.M., surrounded by a heart.   
The rest of the page was filled with similar romantic doodles. Hearts, crude cupids, etcetera. The average doodlings of a love struck girl.   
The next page was more of the same, but never was a full name mentioned. B.U. was obviously Buttercup Utonium, but who was A.M.? Someone from school? Mentally, Blossom ran down the list of their classmates, but no one had the initials A.M.   
_So she likes a boy that isn't in our class,_ Blossom figured. _But who?!_   
"Blossom?" Blossom jerked up, nearly dropping the notebook. "Blossom," Bubbles called again, a little louder.   
Blossom stuck her head out the bathroom door, "Sh, Bubbles! Do you want to wake Buttercup?"   
"What are you doing in there?" Bubbles whispered. "Are you sick?"   
"No, I was simply...reading."   
"Reading? But why are you in the bathroom when you could just be in your bed with a flashlight?"   
Blossom rolled her eyes. She loved her sister, but sometimes Bubble's naivety annoyed her. "Get in here and I'll show you."   
Bubbles floated to the bathroom, glancing at Buttercup's bed as she went past. The green Powerpuff Girl was still fast asleep, with a slight frown on her face. She was probably fighting monsters. And royally kicking their butt. As usual. Blossom closed the door tightly behind her and replaced the towels. "What is it?"   
Blossom picked up the notebook from the counter. "I found Buttercup's notebook."   
"But the Professor said we shouldn't look in that."   
Blossom shrugged. "I was curious."   
"But curiosity killed the cat."   
"And satisfaction brought her back," Blossom shot back. "Now, do you want to know what I found?" Bubbles nodded and Blossom opened the notebook to the pages of doodles. Bubbles gasped.   
"Buttercup has a crush!" she squealed.   
Blossom quickly put a hand over Bubbles' mouth. "Sh!"   
"Who is it?" Bubbles asked in a whisper.   
"I don't know. It isn't anybody in our class, no one has the initials A.M. So it has to be somebody else."   
Bubbles made a face. "I don't know _anyone_ with a name that begins with A and M."   
Blossom sighed. "I know. That's what makes this so hard." She yawned. "I'm going to sleep on it. Maybe I'll remember somebody in a dream or something. Can you put the notebook back for me? It's closer to your bed."   
"Okay," Bubbles said, yawning herself. She took the notebook from Blossom and both girls floated out of the bathroom to their beds, with Bubbles stopping at Buttercup's dresser to carefully replace the notebook.


	3. Questions

#  **Secrets and Surprises**

**Chapter Three - Questions**

"AUGH!"   
Blossom and Bubbles jumped out of bed.   
"AUGH! Where is it!" a green streak of light zipped around the room, pulling clothes out of closets and dressers, toys out of boxes and books off shelves. Buttercup stopped abruptly in front of Blossom. "All right, what did you do with it?"   
"With what?" Blossom asked sleepily.   
"My notebook! You took it!" She flew over to Bubbles. "Or maybe you did. But one of you took my notebook!" Buttercup flew back to her dresser and began taking out all the drawers.   
Blossom floated over to Bubbles. "What drawer did you put the notebook into?" she whispered.   
"Uhm...I don't know," Bubbles said. "Why?"   
"I told you to put it back into her underwear drawer!"   
Bubbles looked confused for a minute. "No, you didn't. You said to put it back in her dresser."   
Buttercup finally found what she was looking for, in the top drawer of her dresser. "Hah! Proof!"   
"How is that proof?" Blossom asked.   
"I put my notebook in my _bottom_ drawer, the underwear drawer. And here it is, in my shirt drawer!" She floated back to her sisters, staying just high enough that they had to look up to her. "Which one of you did it." Silence. "Tell me. Tell me now!"   
Neither girl admitted to anything for a moment, but Bubbles had always been terrible at keeping secrets. "Who's A.M.?"   
"It was you!" Buttercup dove down at her sister, pushing her down to the floor and starting a terribly one-sided wrestling match.   
Blossom joined the fight, at first trying to pull Buttercup away from Bubbles, but after Buttercup gave her a well placed punch to her eye, Blossom was tired of trying to be the peace keeper and joined the fight, making it an all out three way match between the girls. And all of this before breakfast.   
The Professor didn't know anything was wrong until he heard a lamp crash in the Girls' room. He knew they had their share of arguments, what trio of sisters didn't?, but when furniture was broken, he knew it was time to step in.   
"Girls!" he shouted when he reached their room the Girls in their fight. At the sound of his voice, all three of the Girls abandoned whoever they were fighting and floated sullenly in the air in front of the Professor.   
"Yes, Professor?" they answered him in unison.   
The Professor stared at his Girls for a moment. Bubbles was a mess, with a split lip and bruises and scratches all over. Blossom wasn't much better, with a black eye and a nasty looking cut on her forehead. Buttercup was unharmed compared to them, only a few minor scratches, although all the Girls looked like they'd been through a tornado, with torn nightgowns and ratted hair.   
"What happened?"   
Buttercup pointed a hand at her sisters. "They stole my notebook. Again!"   
The Professor glanced at the notebook sitting on Buttercup's bed. "Buttercup, the notebook's on your bed."   
Buttercup rolled her eyes. "_Now_ it is. When I woke up this morning, it was in the wrong drawer. I put it back in my bottom drawer every time I finish writing in it. This morning it was in my _shirt_ drawer."   
"Perhaps you made a mistake," the Professor said gently.   
"And then Bubbles asked me about something she could only have read in my notebook! How's _that_ for incriminating evidence?"   
The Professor looked at Bubbles, disappointment written on his face. "Bubbles. Is this true?"   
Bubbles lowered her head. "Yes, Professor. But Blossom took it first!"   
"Hey!" Blossom protested.   
"Blossom! I'm surprised," the Professor said. "At both of you. And _very_ disappointed. Curiosity is one thing, but didn't I tell you yesterday that you were _not_ to read Buttercup's notebook?"   
"But we needed to know," Blossom said quietly. "What if she'd been in trouble or something?"   
"Taking care of you three is my responsibility. If I thought Buttercup was in trouble, I'd take care of it myself." The Professor sighed and sat at the nearest desk, Blossom's pink one. "Girls, come here." Obediently, the Girls stood before the Professor. "I'm glad you look out for eachother, sisters should do that, but we all need to learn to give eachother some independence. I have to learn that you Girls are growing up, that you don't need me hovering over you constantly. And you need to begin letting go of each other. I hope you'll always be close, but you're three unique individuals, and now you all have different needs." He stood up, "Now, let's get you three cleaned up quick, or you'll be late to school." He herded all the Girls into the bathroom and helped them clean up their scratches and bandage the wounds. It was going to be a raggedy group of Powerpuff Girls going to Townsville Junior High that day.   
Buttercup, being the least wounded, was the first to leave the bathroom, and she seemed quite grateful to be, probably because she'd need to find a new hiding place for her notebook. She wouldn't be trusting her sisters for awhile.   
"I hope you two understand that what you did to Buttercup was wrong," the Professor told Blossom and Bubbles as he washed the blood from the red-head's bangs and face. "But you two still have to be punished. You defied your sister's wishes twice and deliberately did what I told you not to do. No TV or computer for two days, unless it's for homework. And you can only leave the house if it's to fight crime or go to school. Okay?" blossom and Bubbles hung their heads but muttered their agreements. The Professor patted them both on their backs and sent them to get dressed. The Girls rarely messed up at home, but when they did, they needed a firm reminder that they _weren't _perfect in every way, despite his attempts.


	4. Friends

#  **Secrets and Surprises**

**Chapter Four - Friends**

Buttercup was the first to leave for school that morning for a change. Bubbles and Blossom were still eating their Lucky Captain Rabbit King cereal when she was ready to leave, so she simply left. Besides, if she got there early enough she'd be able to go down to the school library and write in her notebook, which she had decided to keep with her at all times now, before school started.   
First stop at Townsville Junior High for Buttercup was her locker. She was earlier than she usually was, she never got to school early enough to talk with friends like the other kids did, so she was surprised to see her locker partner at the locker already.   
"Hey, Andra," Buttercup greeted.   
"Oh, hi, Buttercup!" Andra said cheerfully. "You're awfully early. Relatively anyway."   
Buttercup shrugged. "Needed to get out of the house. My sisters and I already had a fight this morning."   
"Ah. I was going to have tact enough not to ask how you goth those scratches and bruises on your arms. But...since you brought it up, what happened?"   
"They went through my stuff last night so they could read my notebook."   
"Notebook? Oh, like a diary?"   
Buttercup made a face. "Diary sound so _girly_. I prefer notebbok." Andra only shrugged. "So what are you doing?"   
"Decorating the locker," Andra said, stepping back so Buttercup could observe the art work. "Mom bought me some cool glow in the dark stars and some stickers this weekend while she was in Citysville."   
Andra had covered the locker door in plastic green and yellow glow in the dark stars. There were also two mini dry erase boards hung side by side, both bordered in star stickers. One had a green pen attached and said "Butterup Utonium's Notes" the other said "Andra Meda's Notes" and had a gold pen. Andra had a major thing for stars and other space things.   
"What's the point of getting glow in the dark stars for a locker? We can't see them when it's dark."   
Andra's smile fell. "You don't like it?"   
"No! No, it looks cool," Buttercup assured the other girl. "I was just sorta...confused."   
"I know we won't be able to see them glow, but I figured since some were green, you'd be okay. I put the yellow ones in so there'd be some variety and there'd be _something_ in my favorite color."   
"I think it's really cool, Andra," Buttercup said. "This has to be the best looking locker in the school." Andra beamed with pride.   
Bubbles and Blossom came floating down the hallway then, much slower than usual. Both Buttercup and Andra had to hold back giggles at the sight of the two battered Powerpuff Girls. They ignored their sister, but nodded to Andra. Bubbles, always trying to be nice, said "Cool locker, Andra." Or she tried to. Her lip was swollen from the fight so her speech came out mumbled. That almost sent Andra and Buttercup over the edge with laughter. Andra could only nod at Bubbles and as soon as the Girls were out of sight, Buttercup and Andra burst into giggles.   
"They look so _funny_!" Andra said between giggles. "I've never seen any of you hurt before, and they just look so pathetic!"   
"Yeah," Buttercup agreed. "I don't think they'll mess with me for awhile." Buttercup was glad she had a hand in making her friend laugh. Andra had the clearest, most sparkling laugh the green Powerpuff Girl had ever heard. And she laughed with her whole body, making her long golden hair move like a waterfall down her back. it was no wonder Buttercup was a little awestruck with this gril, any person would be. But Andra didn't seem to realize the effect she had on people, which made her all the more endearing.   
The bell rang then, bringing the girls back to reality. They giggled slightly one more time then linked arms and headed off to class.


	5. Coincedences

#  **Secrets and Surprises**

**Chapter Five - Coincidences**

Blossom glared across the cafeteria at Buttercup. Then moved a slightly less harsh stare at Bubbles, who was sitting next to her. It was both of their faults that Blossom was in trouble. If Buttercup had just shared the stupid notebook with them from the beginning, Blossom wouldn't have wondered if something was wrong. And then Bubbles had to tattle on her, so now she couldn't attend her chat with the Nobel Prize physicist that night.   
"What's wrong, Blossom?" Bubbles asked innocently as she ate her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.   
"Nothing," Blossom grumbled. She picked up her own sandwich but before taking a bite asked Bubbles, "Do you know why Buttercup never eats lunch with us anymore?"   
"He hath at ew thwend," Bubbles said.   
"Gross, Bubbles!" Blossom said. "Finish eating before you talk! Yuck!"   
Bubbles took a gulp of her juice. "I had. The Professor put too much peanut butter on my sandwich and it made my mouth stick together. I said, she has a new friend. Her locker partner."   
"But we _always_ eat together."   
Bubbles shrugged. "You heard what the Professor said. 'You're three unique individuals, and now you all have different needs,'" she quoted precisely.   
"But what if a monster attacked during lunch? She'd be all the way over there and we'd have to waste time collecting her before we went off to fight."   
"Blossom, let the Professor handle it. I don't want to get into trouble again," Bubbles said quietly. "It wasn't very nice to read Buttercup's notebook in the first place, and if we try and butt into Buttercup's life anymore, we'll only get into more trouble!"   
"But this is _important_, Bubbles. The safety of Townsville is at stake now. So, which person at Buttercup's table is her locker partner?"   
Bubbles eyed her sister suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"   
Blossom shrugged. "Curiosity."   
"Blossom! Hasn't your curiosity gotten us in enough trouble?"   
"I'm not going to get us into trouble. I'm just going to talk to the girl. Maybe she knows what Buttercup could be hiding in her notebook."   
Bubbles sighed and reluctantly stood on the bench of the lunch table. "Buttercup's locker partner is the blond girl sitting next to her."   
Blossom stood, too. "Hey, wasn't she at Buttercup's locker this morning?"   
"Yeah, that's why she was there, they share the locker," Bubbles explained patiently, kind of enjoying the fact that she knew something her sister didn't.   
"What's her name?"   
"Andra. Andra...Meda, I think."   
Blossom sat back down. "We can talk to her now, Buttercup would probably try and beat us up again. Maybe we can talk to her after school."   
Bubbles joined her sister back down on the bench. "Maybe _you_ can. _I_ want to go home."   
"Fine, Bubbles!" Blossom said in exasperation. "I guess some things you just need to do yourself," she added quietly, and resumed eating her sandwich.   
The two Girls were throwing away their paper bags at the end of the period when a though occurred to Blossom. "Hey...Andra Meda. She has the initials A.M.!"   
"So?" Bubbles asked.   
"So I haven't thought of anyone with the initials A.M. yet, but I've been thinking only of the boys."   
Bubbles looked confused. "Of course you have been. Only a boy's name would be in a heart with Buttercup's."   
"Maybe..." Blossom began, but she shook her head. The idea was crazy! "Yeah, never mind me, I was just noticing something. Kind of weird, huh?"   
"Yeah," Bubbles agreed. The warning bell rang and the two Girls flew off to class.

***

Blossom watched Buttercup and Andra all through the rest of the afternoon during their classes, obsessed now with the similarities between the girl's name and the initials in Buttercup's forbidden notebook. By some stroke of luck, they'd managed to get seats next to or behind eachother in all their classes. They worked together during work time and passed notes while the teachers lectured. Blossom couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at how close Buttercup seemed to be to Andra. The Powerpuff Girls used to be an inseparable trio, and now they were splitting up. First Buttercup with her locker partner and the elusive crush, who would be the next to leave?


	6. Temper, Temper

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Six - Temper, Temper**

****

Just like she had said she wanted to, Bubbles left school as soon as she could after the last bell rang. She used to enjoy school as much as Blossom did, but once they'd taken away nap time and , Bubbles had lost interest.   
Buttercup, however, stayed later than usual, walking down the hall with Andra instead of zipping to the locker and then home. Blossom found it a pain to walk behind them, she was so used to flying.   
_You don't _have_ to follow them,_ a voice in her head nagged. Blossom ignored it.   
When Buttercup reached her locker with Andra, she happened to glance back down the hallway when Blossom didn't have a place to hide.   
_Oh, crap,_ Blossom thought to herself when she caught Buttercup's death glare. _She'll really hate me now!_ Buttercup and Andra didn't stay at the locker long, and soon they were walking again.   
Blossom followed them outside the school, expecting Buttercup and Andra to separate, giving Blossom a chance to talk to Andra. But they didn't. Buttercup kept walking, _away_ from the Utonium house.   
Now _I have a reason to follow!_ Blossom thought triumphantly. "Hey, Buttercup!"   
"Now what?" Buttercup demanded, obviously not in the mood to talk to her sister.   
"Where are you going?"  
"None of your business."   
"Buttercup, I don't like the way you're acting. We're sisters and teammates, we shouldn't have so many secrets."   
"If sisters are supposed to spy on each other, maybe I don't _want_ to be your sister anymore," Buttercup said darkly. "I _want_ to be treated like a responsible person. I _want_ to be treated like an individual, not just the reckless Powerpuff Girl. I _want_ to try to have a few normal friends! And normal friends walk home together. But you wouldn't know that, would you, Blossom? Because you don't have any friends, do you?" Blossom was left speechless. "I thought not. Come on, Andra." The two girls began walking again, leaving Blossom alone. 

****

***  "Wasn't that kind of harsh?" Andra asked as she and Buttercup walked away from Blossom.   
Buttercup shrugged, and tried to ignore the guilty feeling that was trying to settle into her gut. "She's way too bossy, thinking that because she's our leader in fights she can control our personal lives. Bubbles doesn't seem to mind, heck, maybe she _needs_ to have someone look out for her, but I don't! Yeah, I've screwed up a few times in the past, but I learned from my mistakes. Blossom just hasn't seen that yet."   
"I don't think she likes me much," Andra said quietly.   
"What? Why not? Everyone loves you!"   
"Not Blossom. She's never mean to me, but she's pretty cold. And she didn't seem to want you to walk home with me just now."   
"That was just because she doesn't know how to mind her own business. And she's pretty cold to everyone, that's why she doesn't have any friends."   
"That's awfully sad."   
Buttercup thought about that for a moment. "I guess maybe it is," she admitted. "But until she gets a major attitude adjustment, it's not going to change."   
"Probably not," Andra agreed. "This is my house," she announced, stopping in front of a small one story dark blue house. "I would invite you in, but Mom's at work and she doesn't like me to have friends over when she isn't home."   
Buttercup's heart sank. She had been hoping to have an excuse to stay with Andra longer. But outwardly she hid her disappointment. She'd gotten good at that. "That's okay. I should be getting home, too, before Blossom goes and tattles on me to the Professor."   
"Good luck."   
"Thanks." Just before Buttercup launched herself into the sky, Andra's voice from the front step stopped her.   
"Thanks for walking me home, Buttercup. You know, you're pretty cool."   
Buttercup smiled. That more than made up for not getting to go in with Andra! "So're you, Andra. I'll see you tomorrow!" And with that, she took off.   
Buttercup couldn't have wiped the grin off her face if she'd wanted to as she flew home. Andra thought she was cool! And maybe if they hung out enough, she'd begin to think Buttercup could be more than just a 'cool' friend....   
Buttercup nearly flew past her house, she was so caught up in her thoughts about Andra. When she caught herself and landed on her front lawn, she made sure to look at her reflection in the window. She couldn't go inside grinning like an idiot and give her sisters _more_ things to bug her about. She carefully rearranged her features so she was wearing her customary scowl and went inside.   
"Buttercup? Is that you?"   
"Yeah, Professor!" Buttercup called.   
"Would you come in here?"   
Cautiously, Buttercup floated to the living room. "What's up?"   
The Professor, Blossom and Bubbles were all sitting on the couch, Blossom curled up between the other two, her body shuddering with sobs. The Professor looked at Buttercup as she entered the room. "I think you have some explaining to do, young lady." 


	7. Punishments

PpG3.7

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Seven - Punishments**

"What's wrong?" Buttercup asked, concern beginning to crack her fierce facade.   
"According to Blossom, you said some pretty mean things back at school today. Something about Blossom note having any friends and not wanting to be her sister anymore. Care to offer an explanation?"   
"She was following me after school when I was hanging out with Andra, telling me that I shouldn't keep secrets from her because we were sisters and teammates and junk. So I got mad."   
"I can understand that, Buttercup, but you need to learn not to let your anger get the better of you. How many times have we talked about that?"   
"What? Why lecture _me_? She was the one who wasn't letting me alone, even after you told her _twice_!"   
"I'll handle that," the Professor assured Buttercup. "You worry about yourself. I think you should go to your room and think about what you said. I'll come get you in a while."   
Buttercup stared at the Professor for a moment, not quite believing what was happening. _Blossom_ was the one who kept messing up, but just because she was acting like a baby and crying, Buttercup was getting punished! The Professor's gaze didn't waver, he was serious.   
"Fine," Buttercup said with an angry sigh. She stalked away from the couch and stomped up the stairs, making sure everyone knew how unfair she thought this punishment was. When she reached the bedroom the three Powerpuff Girls shared, she made sure to slam the door hard behind her, making all the furniture in the room, and hopefully the people down in the living room, jump.   
She went to her closet and grabbed her blanket from its hiding place on a shelf then flopped onto her bed. "It's not fair," Buttercup muttered into the green fabric. "The Professor is always treating Bubbles and Blossom better than me just because they give him the innocent little girl and I give it to him straight." She grabbed her pillow and threw it at the door. "I hate them!"   
Bubbles opened the door just as Buttercup threw the pillow and managed to duck before it hit her still tender face. "Buttercup?"   
Buttercup turned her face down on her bed. "Go away. I'm being punished, remember?"   
Bubbles ignored her sister's order and sat down on the green bed by Buttercup. "Why are you so mad at Blossom?"   
"I'm not very happy with you either," Buttercup reminded Bubbles.   
"I know why you're mad at me. And I'm really sorry about that. But I don't know why you...hate Blossom."   
"'Cause Ms. Know-It-All is always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, and then acting all innocent so she doesn't get in trouble, and I do!"   
"Well, after you left, the Professor asked Blossom if what you said was true and she said it was, so now she's grounded for another day."   
Buttercup lifted her head from her blanket. "Really?"   
"Uh-huh."   
Buttercup sat up and rested her chin on her knees. "Why is she so obsessed with me, Bubbles? Why won't she leave me alone?"   
Bubbles shrugged. "she's curious. And worried. And...scared?"   
"Scared? Why do I doubt that."   
"I think she really is. She _says_ it's because that now that you aren't with us all the time, we'll have to waste time finding you if a monster attacks during the day -"   
"All of our classes are together!"   
"_But_ I think she's scared of losing you."   
"Losing me?"   
"Yeah. Like you won't hang out with us at all anymore and...stuff. I don't know, I don't understand her much either."   
"Do you think that?"   
"What?"   
Buttercup sighed. "That I won't hang out with you two and stuff."   
"No, I was just wondering what you were hiding in your notebook."   
"Well, you aren't going to find out," Buttercup said defensively. "It's for my eyes only."   
"Okay," Bubbles said with a sigh. "I better go now, before the Professor comes."   
The Professor entered the room at that moment. Bubbles gave Buttercup a quick pat to reassure her then quickly ducked out behind the Professor. Buttercup turned over on her bed so she was facing away from the Professor.   
"Can I sit down, Buttercup?" the Professor asked. Buttercup didn't answer, so the Professor remained standing, not wanting to antagonize his feisty daughter anymore than he had to.   
"I know you feel I'm not being fair, Buttercup, but you need to learn to get all the facts before making your decisions. I was waiting to hear both sides of the story before punishing either of you. Once I heard what you said, I could make an informed decision about what to do. Did Bubbles tell you about Blossom's punishment?" Buttercup didn't answer, once again, but the Professor was sure his talkative daughter had. "I want you to stay in here the rest of the afternoon. No using Blossom's computer, no talking on the phone. Work on some homework and think about what you said to Blossom. You really hurt her today, Buttercup." The Professor sighed and sat down next to Buttercup, ignoring her when she pulled away even further. "Sometimes you don't realize how much words can hurt somebody else. You're so tough, you think the only way to hurt somebody is to use your fists, but sometimes words can hurt worse." Still no visible reaction from Buttercup, so the Professor sighed and stood up. "You may have made a mistake this time, but I know you'll do the right thing." He left the room, closing the door softly behind him.   
And Buttercup let the first tear finally slip down her cheek. 


	8. Dear Diary...

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Eight - Dear Diary...**

****

My sisters really confuse me sometimes.   
For example, Bubbles usually acts really ditzy. She's in 6th grade for Pete's sake and still obsesses over her crayon drawings like a Kindergartener! But yesterday when I was grounded she sounded a lot more grown up than even Blossom. Except for when she said Blossom was scared she made sense.   
Even Blossom seems out of character these days. She's never tried to totally run my life before. Now it seems all she cares about is my life. Even now, when she's been avoiding me all day, she keeps looking up from her homework to see if I'm still writing. She's probably going to try and steal my notebook again tonight, so I'm going to sleep with it under my pillow. And dream sweet dreams without worry.   
Dream about Andra.   
I'm worried they're going to find out about Andra. They already know I have a crush on someone with the initials A.M., and Andra's the only one in our grade with those initials. I know, I checked the year book. And I have no idea how they or the Professor would react if they found out I liked a girl. I don't even know how Andra would react.   
Life bites sometimes. 

-Buttercup

Dear Diary,   
Buttercup is really worrying me now. She's gotten completely out of control. If this was just a matter of a notebook and a crush I'd leave her alone, but she's so persistent in hiding stuff from Bubbles and me, I'm getting worried. She's spending time with this Andra girl, someone none of us knows anything about, and I can't forget that Andra and Buttercup's crush have the same initials. Bubbles doesn't think anything of the coincidence...but then again, does she even know about homosexuality? I'm not saying Buttercup is gay, I don't even want to think about that, I'm just pointing out how innocent my sister is. She's almost too innocent sometimes. And she's indecisive, too. First she was all for reading Buttercup's notebook and then she turned me in for finding it! Then at school she didn't seem to care at all about Buttercup's sudden disappearance from our lunch table.   
What I told Bubbles is the truth. I'm honestly worried about what could happen if Buttercup isn't nearby when we have to fight a monster. I know she's been the only reason we've won a few times.   
I wonder if she knows about that. She did say something about not wanting to be the reckless Powerpuff Girl. While she certainly is the most daring of the three of us, that's saved us a couple times.   
Hm. Maybe I'll have to talk to her about that. 

-Blossom


	9. Risks

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Nine - Risks**

Breakfast in the Utonium household is usually a pleasant affair. The Professor fixes breakfast for the Powerpuff Girls and all four members of the family eat breakfast together.   
Oh this morning, however, the setting looked the same as always, but the feeling was different.   
Bubbles was her usual self, bright and cheerful, seemingly oblivious to, or perhaps compensating for, the tension that still hung between Blossom and Buttercup. The Professor was also trying to ignore the tension between the Girls, overcompensating for their silence with loud, bad jokes.   
"And so then the _other_ scientist says -"   
Buttercup stood up suddenly, cutting off the Professor's punch line. "I'm going to go. Bye Professor, bye Bubbles." The absence of Blossom's name was painfully obvious.   
"Bye, Buttercup!" Bubbles called after her sister.   
"Have a good day, sweetheart," the Professor said, handing Buttercup a brown paper lunch sack as she floated past.   
"Yeah," Buttercup muttered. As soon as she left the front door, she flew off in a streak of green light. 

****

*** Just like yesterday, Andra was at the locker when Buttercup arrived at school.   
"Did something happen again this morning?" Andra asked after Buttercup had violently thrown her books into the locker.   
"Not this morning. Last night. Blossom and I both got in trouble for our argument after school."   
"Why was she punished?" Andra asked. Buttercup shot her a dirty look. Andra looked down, realizing that wasn't the best thing to say to the already angry Buttercup. Buttercup realized at the same time that alienating Andra probably wasn't the best way to win her affection.   
Buttercup relaxed herself and explained. "She's in trouble for following us and trying to control me. I'm in trouble for all the stuff I said to her. I...I guess you were right. I was a bit harsh."   
Andra shrugged. "She sounds like sometimes she can be harsh, too."   
"You have no idea."   
The two girls began walking down the hall, both loving the chance to be with the other girl, but wishing at the same time they could walk hand in hand, like the other couples in the school. Knowing how the other felt about a possible relationship would have helped, too. 

****

***  The Powerpuff Girls and Andra had all their classes together, so any conversations Andra and Buttercup had in one class could easily be carried on in the next. Buttercup had been unusually quiet in first hour, so Andra started second by passing Buttercup a note before class even started.   
'_Penny for your thoughts?'_   
__ 'Huh?'   
__ 'Mom says that to me when I'm quiet. It means I'll give you a penny if you'll tell me what you're thinking.'   
__ 'Nothing.'   
__ 'You have to be thinking something. You've been quiet since before school even started. What's up?'   
Buttercup sighed before writing. _'I guess I'm just letting Blossom get to me too much.'_   
__ 'Sounds like you care a lot about what she thinks.'   
Buttercup made a face. _'No I don't!'_   
Andra raised an eyebrow. _'Then why are you letting her get to you?'_   
__ 'Because she's butting into personal stuff that's none of her business.'   
__ 'What kind of personal stuff?'   
__ 'The stuff in my notebook.'   
__ 'Yeah, but what's in your notebook?'   
__ 'Why do you care so much?'   
Andra shrugged before writing back. _'I don't know...curiosity about what super heroes write in their diaries every night?'_   
__ 'Same thing every one else does! Likes, dislikes, dreams and nightmares, crushes and enemies.'   
"Buttercup and Andra? Is that something you want to share with the class?"   
The two girls jumped in their seats. "Sorry, Ms. Wilson," Andra apologized.   
Ms. Wilson sniffed and turned back to the blackboard, but Andra didn't take the opportunity to write back to Buttercup. She needed time to think. Crushes? Maybe there was a way to find out Buttercup's feelings without risking her neck.... 


	10. Aversions

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Ten - Aversions**

Andra didn't get a chance to talk to Buttercup until after third hour and lunch. Third hour was home ec for them and Andra didn't want to talk with Buttercup over the sounds of 20 6th graders trying to bake pizza.   
"Why don't we take our lunches outside today," Andra suggested casually when she and Buttercup were back at their locker to pick up their packed lunches. "It's nice and warm and a heck of a lot more comfortable than squeezing into the lunch table."   
Buttercup's heart skipped a beat. A chance to be alone with Andra? "Sounds great," she said, careful not to let her smile show.   
Andra didn't have control over her features like Buttercup had, she smiled brightly. "C'mon, I know a really good place." The girls took off running down the hall.   
Andra led Buttercup to a place near the edge of the school property almost completely surrounded by tall trees. Someone would have to really be searching for them to find them.   
"Why all the way out here?" Buttercup asked as she took out her food.   
Andra shrugged. "No reason. Just thought it'd be a good place for us to talk and hang out." Buttercup nodded, she had too much food in her mouth to answer verbally.   
The girls sat in silence for a moment while they ate. After they'd both made a good start on their lunches, Andra began talking. "So...you said you write about crushes in your notebook...anybody current in there?" _Oh, subtle Andra._   
Buttercup's eyes widened in momentary panic. "Um, now? Nobody. Absolutely nobody."   
"Not even someone who looks cute? Some hot person?" Andra pressed.   
_Person?_ "Nope, not a soul." She hated lying to Andra, but at this point it was necessary. "Uh, how about you?"   
"Mm...maybe I do."   
"Really? Who?"   
Andra squirmed. Why did she have to be so honest?! "Uh, I, um. I...I have to ask you a question first, Buttercup."   
Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."   
"How - have - what do you think of...of people who like people of the same sex?" The last part came out in a rush and Andra closed her eyes in anticipation of Buttercup's answer.   
"Like gay people?" Andra nodded slightly. "I...don't hate them, like some crazy people do. I guess they can like anybody they want to." Did this mean what Buttercup thought it meant?!   
Andra opened one eye. "So you'd be cool with it if someone told you he was gay?"   
_He? Dang...._ "Yeah, of course I would be."   
Andra took a deep breath. "good. 'Cause I'm gay."   
It was all Buttercup could do to keep from jumping up in excitement. Maybe she had a chance with Andra yet! "So, you like a girl."   
"Yeah."   
Buttercup nodded, praying she looked natural. "So. Who do you like?"   
Well, Buttercup was turning out to be a lot cooler than Andra had expected, but one shock was enough for one afternoon. "Oh. No one. I just said that to...procrastinate, I guess."   
"Oh. 'Kay," Buttercup said, once again feeling her stomach do a flip. Andra liked girls _and_ wasn't attached to anybody! Maybe dreams really do come true....   
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The two girls gathered their trash and ran back towards the school and, after throwing out their trash, to their next class.   
As soon as Buttercup entered the classroom, Blossom, who'd been talking to Bubbles, turned away so she couldn't see Buttercup.   
"What's wrong?" Buttercup whispered to Bubbles as she walked by the blue Powerpuff Girl's desk, but Bubbles didn't answer. She looked down at her paper and began doodling furiously. Disturbed, but not wanting her sister's behavior to get to her again, Buttercup found her desk and sat down next to Andra.   
The three afternoon classes passed slowly for Buttercup. Bubbles and Blossom refused to acknowledge her existance, and Andra was remaining uncharacteristically silent, but Buttercup could handle that, it was her sister's sudden change that bothered her. She had told Andra she didn't care what they thought, but this was too strange for her to ignore. Even at breakfast that morning Blossom had _looked_ at her, mostly to glare, but it was attention. Now neither of her sisters were so much as looking Buttercup's way.   
"I've got to go home, talk to my sisters," Buttercup told Andra after their last class. "They were acting weird today, I need to find out why."   
"Yeah, I noticed that. Hey, Buttercup?"   
Buttercup turned back to Andra. "What?"   
"You know what I told you at lunch? Could you, like, keep that a secret? It's not something I want the entire school to know."   
Buttercup nodded. "Yeah. Of course. See ya' later." She ran out the front door of the school and flew home in a streak of green light.   
At the Utonium house, Blossom and Bubbles were sitting on the couch in front of the TV, though Blossom had her nose in a book so it wouldn't look as if she were violating her punishment. Buttercup stormed over to them and placed herself directly in front of the TV so they couldn't avoid her.   
"Hey!" Bubbles cried. "I was watching that."   
"Oh, so you'll talk to me now?" Buttercup asked. "What was your problem today?"   
"_You_ were our problem, Buttercup," Blossom said coldly. "where were you during lunch today?"   
"Outside."   
"Yeah. Outside with Andra, hiding in the woods."   
"So? What business is it of yours? And how did you know I was out with Andra?"   
"We saw you. When we were coming back from downtown."   
"Downtown!"   
"I told you it would happen, didn't I Bubbles? She'd be out with Andra when a monster attacked -"   
"A monster! Why didn't you come get me?!"   
"We didn't know where you were! We looked around the cafeteria for you, but you weren't there. We couldn't waste time searching the whole school!"   
Buttercup wanted to argue, but she knew she couldn't. She'd screwed up. Big time.   
"I'll be upstairs," she muttered. With a sigh, she floated up the stairs.   
"Do you think she'll change?" Bubbles asked Blossom after Buttercup had left.   
"I don't know. She knows she screwed up, but she might not care enough to give up spending time with that friend of hers."   
"So what will we do? That monster today was pretty easy, but what if someone like Mojo Jojo attacks during the day? We'll need everyone!"   
Blossom sighed. "I don't know! Maybe the Professor can talk to her. I know she won't listen to me anymore."   
"I'll go get him," Bubbles said. Before Blossom could protest, Bubbles had zipped to the door that led down to the lab.   
"PROFESSOR!" she screeched, causing everyone in the house to cringe.   
The Professor dropped the chemical he had been working with, not caring when the beaker shattered on the floor because he was already half way up the stairs, his mind racing. What was happening _now_? Were Blossom and Buttercup fighting again?   
"What is it?" he asked when he met at the top of the stairs.   
"Me an' Blossom need to talk to you," Bubbles said as if nothing unusual was going on. "C'mon. Blossom's on the couch." She took the Professor's hand and led him to the living room.   
"What is it, Girls?"   
"There was a monster attack today at lunch. And Buttercup wasn't there," Blossom stated.   
"Why not?"   
A dark look crossed the Girl's face. "She was eating lunch with her friend Andra. Hiding so we couldn't find her."   
"Hiding?" The Professor knew the Girls weren't getting along well, but the thought of Buttercup hiding from _anyone_ seemed pretty far out to him.   
"Well, I don't know if she was _hiding_," Blossom admitted, "but she had to have known no one could see her there."   
"What do you want me to do?"   
"You have to talk to her." She finally had emotion in her voice. Urgency. "We handled the monster easy enough, but what if Mojo attacks during school? Or Him or Sedusa or any one else. Bubbles and I can't handle any of them alone."   
The Professor thought this over a moment. Blossom was right, the major villains that resided in and around Townsville were almost too much for all three Girls, two of them wouldn't have a chance. But Buttercup was her own person, she had a right to make her own decisions. "I'll talk to her," he finally said. "Find out what's going on. But I won't force her to do anything." He looked Blossom straight in the eye. "And then I'm going to talk to you. I think we need it." Blossom tried to shrink into the couch. Bubbles pulled away too, not wanting to attract the Professor's attention, but he barely glanced her way as he stood from the couch and went to the Girl's room.   
"Buttercup, can I come in?" the Professor called through the door after he knocked.   
"Yeah," came Buttercup's muffled reply. When the Professor opened the door he found Buttercup lying face down on her bed, her head buried in her pillow and her old blanket. He sat next to her and, unlike the last night, she didn't pull away.   
"Seems like we're making these meetings a daily occurrence," he said gently, trying to lighten the mood. But when Buttercup lifted her head to look at him, there wasn't a trace of a smile.   
"Are you going to yell at me?" she asked sullenly.   
"Yell? No, of course not," the Professor assured her. "Just up here to talk."   
"Blossom and Bubbles told you about what happened today."   
"Yes, they did. They were concerned."   
"Right."   
"They are, Buttercup. They have legitimate concerns. Today it was only a monster, but what if it had been Him? What would have happened to your sisters then?"   
Tears began to well up in Buttercup's large green eyes. "I've already thought about that, Professor! And it kind of scares me, but what am I supposed to do? Keep myself from having any friends, like Blossom, for an in case?"   
"I would never ask you to give up your friends. I'm glad you have friends besides your sisters."   
"Then why are you up here? What do you have to say?"   
"I came up to see how you were doing, to make sure you understood what could have happened. And...ask you a question."   
"What?"   
"I think I know the answer now, but one of the first things I wondered when Blossom told me you weren't there to fight the monster was if you wanted to still be a crime fighter."   
"Of _course_ I do," Buttercup said indignantly.   
"I know that now, but I did wonder for a moment. You haven't been getting on with your sisters lately, and you're making friends when they aren't. I wondered if those were symptoms of resentment towards having to fight crime."   
"Resent it? Professor, beating the crap out of bad guys is one of the few things I love! I wouldn't give it up if you _paid_ me."   
The Professor laughed and gave Buttercup a hug. "That's my girl."   
Buttercup sobered quickly though. "What can we do, Professor? I don't want to have to attach myself to Blossom and Bubbles all the time. I like being alone with Andra."   
"You let me handle that. I'll figure something out." The Professor gave Buttercup a quick kiss on her head then left to go talk to Blossom. 

****

*** "Why are you so concerned about Buttercup?" the Professor asked Blossom when they were seated at the kitchen table. Blossom shrugged. "Come on, Honey. You know you can tell me."   
Blossom didn't say anything for a moment, but she knew she had to answer. "I'm worried about the group falling apart. If we don't get along in real life, how are we supposed to cooperate in a fight?"   
"Your recent behavior has gone beyond sisterly concern, Blossom, now it's concerning me. You've tried repeatedly to read Buttercup's diary, tried to keep her from making friends and have gotten into physical fights with her! I want to know why you're hurting your sister this way."   
Blossom sank lower in her seat. The Professor _never_ talked to her this way. She didn't know what to say. Not only because of his seemingly sudden change in demeanor, but if she told him her concerns, he might just get more upset because the information came from Buttercup's notebook.   
"I...uh...she - I don't like Andra much," Blossom finally said.   
"Why not?"   
"When I read Buttercup's notebook, I found out she had a crush, but she never said any name, only initials. A.M. I looked through the year book, there's no boys in our grade with those initials, but there is a girl. Buttercup's friend Andra Meda."   
The Professor stared at Blossom for a moment. "And this is a reason to not like Andra because...?"   
Blossom sighed. How could she explain this? "If Andra and Buttercup's crush are the same person, that means their relationship is more than just friends. Or could be. And Buttercup has a tendency to get in trouble when she falls in love. Remember Ace? Bubbles and I nearly got killed! I don't want Buttercup to get in trouble again. And...the whole idea seems kind of creepy."   
The Professor raised an eyebrow. He had thought he'd raised the Girls to be open minded individuals, no bigots. "Creepy?"   
Blossom blushed. "Um, just thinking about Buttercup and Andra...."   
"But your 'concern' for your sister isn't based on who she may or may not have a crush on, is it?"   
"Oh, no. Of course not, Professor."   
Internally, the Professor breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Now, Blossom, I want you to leave Buttercup alone. Unless you have _proof_ she's in danger, you aren't to interfere with her personal life. But before she spends more time alone with Andra, I'll meet her and her parents, all right?" Blossom nodded. "Good. You can go now." Blossom nodded again, looking fairly miserable after her reprimanding, and floated out of the kitchen. 


	11. Invitation

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Eleven - Invitation**

The next day was a lot like the day before. The Girls woke up, tension evident as soon as Blossom and Buttercup saw eachother, stilted breakfast conversation followed, and there was little recognition of each other at school. Luckily, no monsters or villains attacked Townsville.   
It was the day after that, Friday, that was interesting.   
The Professor woke the Girls earlier than usual. So early it was hardly light outside and Blossom and Buttercup were too tired to bother trying to hate each other.   
"I have a surprise for you down in the lab," was the Professor's excuse. He was giddy and had faint beard stubble on his chin. I was obvious that whatever the Professor had made, he'd spent all night on it.   
The three very tired Girls dutifully followed the Professor down to his lab.   
"Close your eyes," he said. The Girls obeyed, and immediately fell back asleep, floating in mid-air. "Okay, bad idea there," he muttered to himself. He gently shook each Girl awake and handed them their gifts without any further preparation.   
Bubbles looked down at what she held in her hands. "A pager?"   
The Professor nodded enthusiastically. "Each of you has one, but they all have the same number, directly connected to the hotline. Now you Girls can go your separate ways, but you'll be paged any time the Hotline rings so you won't be left out."   
"Cool," Buttercup said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster at six A.M. on a school morning, which wasn't much. She clipped the green pager to the collar of her nightgown. Bubbles and Blossom did the same with their blue and pink pagers.   
"When the office at school opens, I'll call and get you permission to wear those in school," the Professor explained as all four family members left the lab. "You should probably keep them turn off, or at least on silent, during class, but turn them back on at lunch, or anytime you're away from the Hotline.   
"Yes, Professor," Blossom said with a yawn. "Now, can we go get dressed?"   
The Professor laughed, realizing that in his excitement, he had dragged the Girls out of their room still in their nightgowns. "Of course, sweet heart. I'll get breakfast started while you three get ready." 

***  "It was awful nice of the Professor to make these for us," Bubbles said as she clipped her pager to the waist of her denim skirt.   
"Yeah," Buttercup muttered, still not totally awake or happy that she had to go to school. Her pager was clipped to the belt of her jeans. She turned away from her mirror and gave the closed bathroom door a dirty look. Blossom was in there, spending forever on that hair of hers. But now she wasn't going to be able to mad at Buttercup anymore, now that they had the pagers. And she must have been getting tired of being punished by now. Hopefully she'd be on good behavior now.   
"C'mon, Blossom! I smell breakfast!" Bubbles shouted.   
"I'm coming," Blossom called back. "Go on down without me." Bubbles flew off, but Buttercup lingered for a minute, though she didn't know why.   
When Blossom came out of the bathroom - her hair looking perfect as always - she was surprised to see Buttercup still in the room. She went to her desk and picked up her pager. As she clipped it to the waist of her pink capri pants she noticed Buttercup staring at her. "What?"   
"Nothing, just trying to figure you out."   
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." It took all of Blossom's self control to keep from clamping a hand over her mouth. Where on Earth had that petty comment come from?   
"I would, if I wanted to break the camera," Buttercup shot back, not caring how impertinent she sounded. If _Blossom_, of all people, could sink to elementary school insults, then so could she.   
Blossom sighed, giving herself a chance to regain her composure and keep herself from getting into an argument with her sister. With fate working against her like it had been lately, it only would have gotten her in more trouble. She checked her appearance in her mirror one last time, then flew down to the kitchen, leaving Buttercup with no choice but to follow. 

***  As had become habit, Buttercup left for school before her sisters, though today it wasn't to get away from them. Indeed, breakfast had almost returned to normal, the only difference being that Buttercup and Blossom only spoke to eachother when they needed something. But today, Buttercup left early to meet with Andra.   
Andra was standing at the locker, obviously waiting for her partner. Ever since that first fight with her sisters, Buttercup had been arriving at school early, giving the friends plenty of time to talk.   
"What's that?" Andra pointed to the pager at Buttercup's waist after they'd exchanged greetings.   
"Oh, the Professor made those for us. They're beepers. If the Mayor calls the hotline, we're all paged so we don't miss anything."   
"That's cool," Andra said. "So, hey, that means you can get away from your sisters."   
"Yep."   
"So you're free tonight?"   
"Yep."   
"Great. Wanna spend the night at my house?"   
"That'd be fun."   
"Cool!"   
"But I'll have to ask the Professor first." Buttercup rolled her eyes, "You know how adults can be."   
Andra checked her watch. "If we hurry, we can call before school starts."   
"Cool." The girls swung their backpacks on their backs and ran down the hall way. 

***  "Hey, Buttercup! Where ya' goin'?"   
Buttercup turned away from Andra to see Bubbles and Blossom following her and Andra out of the school. "I'm going over to Andra's for the night. We'll be by later to pick up my stuff. And yes, Blossom," she added as an afterthought, "I have both my pager and the Professor's permission."   
Blossom shut her mouth. How had Buttercup known what she was about to ask? Anyway, maybe it was better that her sister had pre-empted her. Blossom couldn't get in trouble now.   
bubbles couldn't help but let a frown mar her features for a moment. it didn't seem fair that Buttercup was spending the night at Andra's. They'd never been apart for a substantial ammount of time. The Powerpuff Girls were an inseparable trio, but here Buttercup was, going off on her own. Bubbles understood in her head what the Professor had said was true, they were unique and needed to have their space. But in practice, it hurt to see Buttercup leave her and Blossom behind for other friends.   
"Um. We'll see you tomorrow then?" Bubbles asked.   
"Yeah," Buttercup said. "Tomorrow. Bye." With that curt farewell, the two pairs of girls left each other, two by foot, two by air. 

***  "Okay, I gotta warn you, my mom is considered a little strange by most people's standards," Andra warned as she and Buttercup walked up the driveway of Andra's house.   
"You don't know weird until Sedusa tries to become your. . . well, step mother," Buttercup said.   
Andra shook her head. "I'm afraid I haven't been here long enough to know all the crazy villains you Girls fight."   
"Don't worry, you will."   
"Okay. Well, if you're sure. . . let's go in." Andra opened the front door and led Buttercup into the house.   
After the warning Andra had given her, Buttercup wasn't sure what to expect in the Meda house. Skulls hanging from the walls and bear throw rugs on the floors? Rose bushes with the blossoms cut off and dismembered hands wandering around on their own free will? Hey, this was Townsville, where talking dogs, monkeys and demons ran amok, anything was possible.   
So Buttercup was surprised to enter a living room that looked no different than her locker. Either Andra had inherited her love of the stars from the decorator, or Andra had been allowed to decorate the room herself. Either way, the celestial theme of the room, with the deep blue and gold walls and rugs, the sun shaped sun catcher and the crystal star wind chimes didn't strike Buttercup as particularly weird. It was better than her own house, which seemed to be decorated along the lines of a hotel room, except for the room the Girls shared.   
"Hey, Mom! We're here!" Andra shouted.   
A tall woman, with the same blond hair and blue eyes Andra had, entered from the kitchen. She wasn't dressed how Buttercup imagined a mother would dress, she had a navy blue tie-dyed wrap around skirt and a lacy tank top, her hair tied back in a loose pony tail. She looked more like a high schooler than anybody's mother. But nothing too weird yet. Maybe Andra was just paranoid.   
"Hi, Honey." The woman bent down and kissed Andra's cheek.   
"Hi, this is Buttercup, Mom. Buttercup, my mother, Cassie O'Peia."   
Cassie put a hand out. "Just Cassie, please. It's a pleasure to meet you, Buttercup, I've heard lots about you."   
Buttercup shook Cassie's hand kind of awkwardly. Hand shakes weren't the greeting of choice for 12 year olds. "Most people have."   
Cassie laughed lightly. It was obvious now to Buttercup where Andra's best features came from. "Yes, I suppose so. Anyway, there's a snack on the counter for you girls, after you eat that you can call your parents and have them bring your things, Buttercup. I'll go make myself scarce until then, you two don't want an old mother hanging around ruining your fun."   
"Right, Mom," Andra answered, but she was smiling so her mother didn't mind. Cassie went down to the basement while Andra and Buttercup went to the kitchen.   
"I'm sorry 'bout what my mom said," Andra said to Buttercup as she poured glasses of milk for both of them.   
"What'dya mean?"   
"Calling your parents. I mean, maybe this is just me, but if I was in your situation I'd feel pretty awkward about that."   
Buttercup shrugged. "Nah. As you've said, you guys are new here, you can't be expected to know the long, bizarre story of my relation to the Professor right away."   
"True. The phone's right there on the wall," Andra pointed with one hand while she continued to heap two plates with fresh brownies. "You can call and the Professor should be here by the time we finish eating. The sooner he gets here, the sooner he meets Mom, the sooner we can get on with our party."   
"Cool." 

***  Just as Andra and Buttercup were finishing their snack the doorbell rang. "Mom!" Andra shouted. "The Professor's here!"   
"Well get the door, silly," Cassie called back. "I'll be there in a sec."   
Andra and Buttercup went to the front door and let the Professor in. "Hi, girls," he greeted cheerfully.   
"Hey, Professor," Buttercup said. She grabbed the green overnight bag and sleeping bag from him while Andra led the Professor to the couch in the living room.   
As they were settling on the chairs and couches, Cassie came up from the basement. "Hello! You're Buttercup's father?"   
The Professor's eyes widened in surprise. It certainly had been awhile since he'd been mistaken for the Girl's father! "Ah, no, not in the sense you mean anyway. The best phrase would probably be guardian."   
Cassie flushed. "Oh, I'm sorry -"   
"No need to be. Buttercup told me you only moved here a few months ago, the story of the Girls birth is so well known around here that it's not told very often."   
Cassie smoothed out her skirt several times before she spoke again. "Was there anything in particular you wished to discuss, Professor?"   
"Not really, just doing my job, meeting Buttercup's friend and her family."   
"Of course. I've actually wanted to do the same for awhile, with the way Andra goes on and on about how cool Buttercup is," Both girls blushed. "Why don't you girls go play while the Professor and I talk?"   
"'Kay," Andra and Buttercup answered in unison.   
"It's been nice meeting you, Professor," Andra said as she began walking up the stairs to her room.   
"You too, Andra."   
"See ya', Professor!" Buttercup ran after her friend, not waiting for the Professor's reply.   
Cassie watched the two girls dash out of sight. "Ah, to be young and actually have energy like that."   
The Professor laughed amicably. "I know how you feel."   
"So how are things for Buttercup at home? Andra told me she was fighting with her sisters. That's why I let her invite Buttercup over, it sounded like she needed a break."   
"Yeah, Buttercup and Blossom are in the middle of a little argument," the Professor admitted. "You know how fights among kids can go. The littlest things get blown out of proportion. Blossom has repeatedly read Buttercup's diary, and tries to control Buttercup's life. Sometimes she forgets that just because she the leader of the Powerpuff Girls doesn't mean she gets to run her sisters' lives."   
"My older sister tried to do that to me when I was Buttercup's age, and we weren't even super heroes!" Cassie said with a laugh. "We didn't speak for a month. My parents tried everything to get us to start talking, but we refused to cave. Finally we just worked it out on our own."   
"That's what I'm hoping the Girls do. They usually act so much more mature than their peers that when they act their age it's hard to know how to deal with them."   
"I'm sure if they're given their space they'll work it out on their own. They aren't the first sisters in history to have a fight, and they aren't the last either."   
There was a short pause before the Professor asked, "How do you and Andra like Townsville? Are you adjusting well?"   
"Oh, we love it here," Cassie said warmly. "The dynamic is completely different from home. And of course, Andra's made fast friends with Buttercup, which has made the transition much easier."   
"Where did you move here from?"   
"A suburb of Los Angeles, out in California. We loved it there but. . . it was time for a change. Variety is the spice of life, right?"   
The Professor had caught Cassie's pause and was curious to know more about the reason for their move, but knew better than to press the issue. If Cassie didn't want to talk about it then he'd respect her wishes. "I should probably be heading back home. I have to get back to an experiment I left in my lab."   
"Of course," Cassie said. "When would you like Buttercup to go home tomorrow?"   
"I'll come by around ten. Unless you'd like her to leave earlier?"   
"Ten's fine. I'm sure the girls will think it's too early, but I'll tell them. So see you tomorrow."   
"Yes, see you tomorrow." 


	12. Truth or Dare

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter Twelve - Truth or Dare**

"Hey, wanna play a game?"   
Buttercup looked at the clock on the wall of Andra's living room. It was after midnight, but neither girl was tired yet. "Sure."   
"Truth or Dare?"   
"Sounds good."   
" 'Kay, I'll go first. Truth, dare, double dare, promise or repeat?"   
"Um. . . repeat."   
"Mojo Jojo is cute."   
"What?! No!" Buttercup shrieked quietly.   
"C'mon, Buttercup. You chose repeat!"   
Buttercup sighed and muttered. "Mojo Jojo is cute. My turn!"   
"I pick. . . truth."   
"Where's your dad?" Buttercup asked, not thinking until she saw Andra's downcast look that that may have been a sensitive subject. "Was that a bad question?"   
"No, no, just not one that comes up often. Mom and Dad divorced several years ago. Truth, dare, double dare, promise or repeat?"   
"Dare."   
"I dare you to. . . wear a pink dress and fly around the block."   
"Pink?"   
Andra nodded. "Pink. C'mon." Andra ran to her bedroom, Buttercup followed reluctantly. By the time the Powerpuff Girl had reached her friend's bedroom, Andra had pulled out a bright pink sun dress with white daisies on it.   
"Here it is!" Andra said brightly.   
Buttercup gingerly took the dress with one hand. "You _wear_ stuff like this?"   
"Heck no! Some relative or another gave it to me at Christmas."   
"So I get to wear it. Yippee." Buttercup turned away from Andra modestly and pulled off her nightgown.   
Andra meant to turn away to give Buttercup her privacy, she really did, but as the nightgown was pulled up curiosity, and perhaps hormones, got the better of Andra and she couldn't help but stare at Buttercup's bare legs and back for the brief moment they were exposed before the (rather awful) sun dress was pulled on.   
Andra regained her composure when Buttercup turned back around, her trademark scowl in place. "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful," Andra told Buttercup with a quiet laugh.   
"Whatever," Buttercup muttered. "I'm warning you now, if pictures of this turn up on the front page of the paper tomorrow, you're going to be a dead girl."   
Andra forced a laugh. She wasn't sure whether or not Buttercup would follow through on that threat. She'd seen Buttercup's temper get out of control before, it wasn't something she wanted to re-live. "Go on. Take your flight. Go as fast as you can for all I care, just do the dare and I'll be happy."   
Reluctantly, Buttercup followed Andra out of the house, out to the front lawn.   
"Up, up and away," Andra teased.   
"That's Superman," Buttercup said. She silently lifted herself off the ground and quickly flew off in a streak of green light.   
Seconds later she was hovering over Andra's head again. She did a quick back flip to show off for her friend then flew to the front door. "I'm freezing in this dress!"   
Andra ran to the door and let Buttercup in. Both girl ran down to Andra's room, where Buttercup changed back into her comfortable green nightgown, then they went back to the living room where their sleeping bags still laid.   
"All right, your turn," Buttercup said. "Truth, dare, double dare -"   
"Truth," Andra interrupted. "I don't want to risk a dare after what I just made you do."   
Buttercup giggled with Andra before she asked her question, one she'd wanted to ask since their private lunch earlier that week. "When did you know that you were gay?"   
Andra sighed and lay back on her pillow, her hands behind her head. "Since the beginning of 4th grade," she said. "There was a girl in my class who was easily the most popular girl in the school. She was pretty and smart, like all popular girls are, but unlike most popular girls, she didn't snub anybody who was 'lower' than her. She played with _everybody_ during recess. Even the boys, or the kids in the special ed classes. At first I thought I just liked her. I mean, everybody else did, so of course I practically worshiped the ground she walked on. But then the dreams started." Andra sighed, "I'm sure you know the type. Usually girls have them about boys, but I was having them about this girl, Sara." Andra was thankful for the cover of darkness, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She'd never mentioned this to anybody. "Anyway, I finally figured out that I liked her the same way the other girls liked the so-called cute guys, though I never saw them that way. There were a few nice guys, but the rest were jerks. So one day after school, I walked home with Sara when none of the other kids from school were around, and I confessed I had a crush on her. I didn't know anything about stupid homophobic idiots back then. I didn't know churches and parents preached that 'people like me' were evil and disgusting. And even if I had, I never would have thought Sara was one of those who could be so stupid."   
Buttercup was surprised to hear a catch in Andra's voice. "Man, I suck at this game," she said roughly. "I never pick good questions. I'm sorry, Andra -"   
"No, I want to tell you," Andra said quickly. "You're the best friend I've had since Sara, and I've never told anybody about this except for my mom, and I hate keeping secrets.   
"So anyway, when I told Sara, she got all cold and made some excuse like she had to go to the store to get bread for her mom. She ran away from me, and by the time I got to school the next day, _everybody_ knew. As I walked through the playground there were whispers of 'queer' and 'dyke' and 'fag.' Words I didn't know but I knew from the kid's voices that they weren't nice. They kept that up all day and I ended up faking a stomach ache after lunch so I could go home early. I told Mom everything, of course. She was furious and went to the principal of the school, but he said there was nothing he could do. There was only a month left of school so Mom couldn't transfer me to another school, so I had to endure a month on my own."   
"You got to go to a different school the next year, right?" Buttercup asked.   
"Yeah," Andra said, "but a couple girls happened to follow me. A coincidence, I'm sure, but it felt like Fate was playing some cruel trick on me. Anytime I tried to make friends, one of those girls was right behind me, saying that I was a dyke and that if they weren't careful I'd do something horrible to them. After a year of fighting with the principals and teachers and councilors, Mom was sick of it and moved us out of California."   
"Which is why you're here now," Buttercup said. "Man, that sucks. I'm sorry." She felt very strange at that moment. She wanted to crawl out of her sleeping bag and into Andra's and - well, that was where the dreams that Andra had mentioned took over. Buttercup felt her cheeks grow hot.   
"Buttercup?"   
"Hm?"   
"You won't, I mean, I know you promised already but, you won't ever tell anyone anything I've ever told you, right?"   
"I'd never do that, Andra!"   
"Good. 'Cause I don't want to go through that ever again."   
Andra sounded so quiet and fragile to Buttercup she could hardly believe it. Andra was by no means the tough girl Buttercup seemed to be, but at that moment she sounded younger than even Bubbles. It was enough to cut through the tough exterior she always wore, right to the soft spot that let her occasionally comfort Bubbles after a nightmare, or hug her blanket when she was depressed.   
"Andra? I've got a confession of my own."   
"What?"   
Buttercup took a calming breath and was thankful for the darkness. It made saying this a whole lot easier. "I - I think I'm gay, too."   
"Really?" Andra's voice had lifted at that news.   
"Really," Buttercup said quietly.   
There was a soft rustling and in a moment Buttercup felt Andra's warm breath on her cheek. "Then I should tell you that day in the clearing at school I lied when I said I didn't like anyone."   
Buttercup's stomach did a flip. "Really?"   
"Yeah. I. . . I like you, Buttercup. I _really_ like you."   
"I like you too, Andra." And before she could loose her nerve she leaned over and kissed Andra. And much to her delight, Andra kissed back. 


	13. Dear Diary 2...

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter 13 - Dear Diary 2. . .**

I can't believe what I did last night! I kissed someone. No, not just 'someone', I kissed Andra!   
I think I'm insane.   
Not that I think kissing her was a bad thing. It was quite good, actually. A heck of a lot better than when I kissed that Rowdyruff Boy when I was 5. It was just like it was in my dreams. Well, it was a lot more romantic in my dreams, but if _felt_ the same. In my dreams usually we're out on a date at the movies or something, not having a sleep over at her house after we've played a painful game (in more ways than one) of Truth or Dare.   
I don't know what I'm going to do at school on Monday. Everything's changed now, although we didn't really talk about it this morning at breakfast. We were awfully quiet. Cassie (Andra's Mom) was giving us some weird looks, but she probably figured we were just tired from staying up late.   
Gosh, I _hope_ that's what she thinks! 

-Buttercup

  
Buttercup's acting weird again! She's been all quiet and starry eyed since she came home from Andra's this morning. It definitely makes me wonder about what went on between those two last night.   
But then again, part of me doesn't want to know.   
I was telling the truth when I told the Professor I don't care who Buttercup likes. She could like a Martian for all I care, but the way she's going about this crush thing still leaves me uneasy. She's spent all day in our room, doodling and sighing into her stupid diary. I caught a glimpse of what she was writing, lots of stars and hearts and the initials again: A.M. and B.U. Unless Buttercup and Andra snuck out last night to meet an 'A.M.' I've never heard of, Andra _has_ to be Buttercup's crush. Which leads me back to the 'do I _really_ want to know what happened last night?' thought. I don't think they, y'know, _did_ anything, nothing really serious anyway. But do I want to imagine my sister making out with anybody?   
Ugh, bad mental picture there, which obviously answers that rhetorical question.   
I considered talking to the Professor about Buttercup again, but he didn't seem to think anything strange was going on. I think he was just happy that she and I weren't yelling or glaring at eachother. I don't think she made eye contact with anybody today, that's how out of it Buttercup has been.   
I'll watch them at school on Monday. That should answer my questions. 

-Blossom


	14. Reactions

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter 14 -**

Buttercup hardly slept Sunday night. A monster attacked around ten, just as the Girls were getting ready to bed. Buttercup's adrenaline was still pumping when she settled into bed after the Girls returned from the fight. She woke up every couple hours after that, and she knew why: she'd be seeing Andra the next day. How would _that_ go? Instead of counting sheep to fall back asleep, Buttercup counted the different reactions Andra could have when they saw eachother.

Reaction One: Avoidance   
"Hey, Andra!" Buttercup will greet. Andra will hurry away.

Reaction One A: Avoidance   
Andra won't be at the locker in the morning and won't talk to Buttercup in class. Forget about sitting together at lunch.

Reaction Two: Ecstasy   
Buttercup won't even have the chance to greet Andra in the morning: Andra will jump into Buttercup's arms and give her a long kiss.

"Yeah, Right," Buttercup muttered. "Moving on."

Reaction Three: Denial   
Andra will act as if nothing happened Friday night.

And so on, until 4:45 Monday morning when Buttercup was sick of torturing herself and decided to get up. There were supposed to be cartoons on in the morning, right? She'd watch those.   
That was where the rest of the Utoniums found Buttercup when they got up: sitting in front of the TV with a huge bowl of Lucky Captain Rabbit King Cereal on her lap, the box and carton of milk on the table next to the couch.   
"You feeling alright, sweet heart?" the Professor asked.   
"Fine, Professor!"   
The Professor raised an eyebrow at Buttercup's chipper tone. "You sure?"   
"Positive."   
"Maybe I should keep you home today. You aren't acting like yourself."   
"No!" Buttercup nearly spilled her bowl. "I mean, no, Professor. Really, I'm all right. I just couldn't sleep so I figured I might as well get up and get breakfast. Hey, did you know they show re-runs of Puppet Pals from 5 to 7:30 in the morning?"   
"Er, No. I'm never up watching TV that early."   
"You should," Buttercup said, her mouth full of cereal. "There's some good stuff on."   
"I'll take your word for it," The Professor said as he stifled a yawn. "Can I have the cereal and milk back? I need to get breakfast around for your sisters."   
"Sure." Buttercup's eye's never left the TV screen as she handed the box and carton back to the Professor.   
"Buttercup?"  
"Hm?"  
"Your hands are shaking. You're sure -"   
"I'm fine!" Buttercup nearly shouted. "Just on a major sugar rush. This is my third bowl."   
The Professor glanced at Buttercup's nearly empty bowl. She'd grabbed a mixing bowl, and he knew Buttercup loved to heap her cereal bowl high in the morning. It was a miracle there was any left for her sisters. "Well then take it easy at school today. I don't want you getting sick."   
"Righti-oh!"   
_Righti-oh?_ The Professor thought. Something odd _was_ going on with Buttercup.   
"See, Blossom. I _told_ you she'd be downstairs! Ooh! Puppet Pals!" Buttercup sighed as Bubbles zipped down the stairs and landed next to Buttercup on the couch. "I didn't know this was still on!"   
"That's because you're supposed to be eating breakfast," the Professor called from the kitchen.   
"Why is Buttercup out here then?" Blossom asked.   
Buttercup held up her huge cereal bowl. "Early bird gets the worm, Sis."   
"Can I watch Puppet Pals too, Professor?" Bubbles asked. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeaase?"   
"I suppose so," the Professor said. "Come get your cereal. You can join them too, Blossom."   
Bubbles and Blossom quickly got their (normal sized) cereal bowls and joined Buttercup on the couch. They ate their cereal and watched TV in easy silence, causing the Professor to sigh with relief. _Maybe they're finally getting over their fight._   
"AUGH!" Buttercup cried suddenly as the credits of the last Puppet Pals episode that morning ran.   
"What?" Bubbles asked.   
"School! It's 7:30! We'll be late!"   
"Eep!" Bubbles squeaked.   
"Oh, no!" Blossom gasped. All three Girls zoomed around, putting on their shoes and grabbing their bags. They flew out the door at the same time and flew at top speed towards school.   
"This is your fault, Buttercup," Blossom said as they flew.   
"_My_ fault?!"   
"How is it her fault?" Bubbles asked.   
"If she hadn't found Puppet Pals -"   
"Shut up, Blossom," bubbles said sharply.   
Blossom nearly fell from the sky. "What?"   
"I said shut up! You've been acting even weirder than Buttercup lately and I'm sick of IT!"   
"But -" Blossom didn't get to finish their argument, they'd reached the school just as the five minute warning bell rang.   
"See ya'," Buttercup muttered as she flew over the heads of the others students, away from Bubbles and Blossom. She had to find Andra.   
She saw Andra's hair first. Shimmering as always, falling around her face as she walked downcast towards their first class.   
"Andra!" Buttercup called.   
Andra stopped and scanned the crowd for Buttercup before looking up and seeing Buttercup above them all. "Buttercup! Hi!" she called back. She fought the crowd and met Buttercup at their locker. "Um, hi."   
"Hi," Buttercup repeated. Andra was blushing and Buttercup could feel the heat rising in her own face.   
"I, uh, didn't think you were going to show," Andra said after an awkward moment. "I was getting worried."   
"I wouldn't miss you -" Buttercup stopped herself and quickly changed the thought into a joke. "I mean _this_ for the world. Crowded hallways, bad food, cranky teachers, what else could I do on a beautiful Monday morning?"   
Andra giggled and was about to add more when the one minute warning bell rang. Buttercup grabbed her books and joined the mass of students all rushing to their first hour classes. 

***  Blossom noticed that Andra and Buttercup didn't talk during class that morning, they didn't even pass notes. Every once in a while one would glance at the other out of the corner of her eye, and occasionally she'd be caught. When they made eye contact they always looked away quickly.   
_Did Andra do something to Buttercup?_ Blossom wondered. _But if she did, why was Buttercup so dreamy this weekend?_   
"You've noticed Buttercup acting weird all weekend, right?" Blossom asked Bubbles as they walked to lunch.   
"Of course I have," Bubbles said. "I'm not blind, y'know. But I like how she's been acting."   
Blossom didn't reply to Bubbles. She seemed to have forgiven their earlier argument already, but she didn't want to risk alienating another sister. So instead she let her attention wander to the other students in the hallway, which was when she saw Andra go into the bathroom.   
Alone.   
"I'll meet you at the table, Bubbles."   
"Blossom? Where are you going?" Bubbles asked as Blossom began to shove her way through the crowd.   
"Bathroom," Blossom called just before she pushed the door open.   
No one was standing around when Blossom entered, so she glanced under the stall doors. There were Andra's sandals under the last one, so Blossom went to the mirror and played with her hair until Andra came out.   
"Hi, Blossom," Andra said as she washed her hands.   
"Hi, Andra," Blossom said brightly. "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"   
Andra pulled out a couple paper towels and dried her hands. "Sure." She tossed the wad of paper into the trash and turned around to face Blossom. "What's up?"   
"Well, Buttercup has been acting weird all weekend. Ever since she came home from your house, actually."   
Andra swallowed. "Really?"   
"Really," Blossom repeated. "I was wondering if you knew why that might be."   
"Um, no. No, I don't." Andra caught her reflection in the mirror and saw her face was almost as pink as Blossom's blouse.   
"Are you sure?" Blossom took a step forward, which made Andra take a step back so she ran into the sink. "Because I've been watching you and her all morning. You haven't whispered or passed notes behind the teachers' backs, you actually work during work time, and whenever one of you catches the other's eye, you both look away."   
"You've been watching us all morning?" Andra asked incredulously. "Maybe Buttercup's right, you really _are_ bossy and can't seem to separate your private life from your life as a super hero." Andra stood up straighter so she was less than an inch from Blossom's face. "If you're trying to intimidate me away from your sister Blossom, you're failing miserably. The fact that you could easily kick my butt may scare the other kids, but I have Buttercup on my side. I like her, she likes me, there's nothing you can do about it so leave us ALONE!" Andra marched out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.   
When she was out in the deserted hallway she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. She was shaking. "It's starting again," she murmured. _She knows something happened Friday night, and I just said Buttercup and I like eachother, which Blossom could easily interpret, well, the right way._   
"Are you okay, Andra?"   
Andra opened her eyes and looked up at her art teacher, Ms. Jergensen. "I'm fine. Just, uh, cramps."   
"Ick," Ms Jergensen said. "Will you be okay?"   
"Yeah. In fact, the worst is over already." Andra stood up. "Some exercise outside will help. I'll see you this afternoon, Ms. Jergensen!" Andra speed walked out of the building towards her and Buttercup's secret lunch area.   
"What took you so long?" Buttercup asked. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd fallen in!"   
Andra laughed. "That might have been better. I ran into Blossom."   
"Uh-oh."   
"Uh-oh is right. She thinks something happened Friday night."   
Buttercup nearly choked on her sandwich. "Why does she think that?"   
"Because we haven't talked in class all morning. And whenever we made eye contact we looked away."   
"Oh. That. Yeah, that's kinda suspicious."   
"And you've apparently been acting weird since you got home Saturday."   
"That one's true. I woke up at quarter to five this morning and watched Puppet Pals."   
"So, um, why _have _we been acting weird?"   
Buttercup sat down her sandwich. "You too?" Andra nodded. "Well. . . I didn't know how you were going to react today, so I was waiting for you to make the first move."   
"I was doing the same thing," Andra admitted.   
The girls ate in silence for a few minutes before Andra spoke again.   
"This is silly! There's no reason to act embarrassed over this. It's not like we did anything bad. Just one innocent kiss. It's _not_ the end of the world!"   
"Right!" Buttercup said. "So what are we going to do?"   
"Do? Why should we 'do' anything?"   
Buttercup looked down at her food. "Well, like, are we going to try and forget we kissed and just be friends? Or are we going to announce to the world that we're gay and start going out?"   
Andra frowned. "I don't think Mom would let me start dating now."   
"I don't know if the Professor would let me either," Buttercup said. "We've never actually had a conversation like that. Probably because I've never been interested in anybody before."   
"But we could go out as friends," Andra said slowly.   
"Yeah!" Buttercup agreed. "Hey, we wouldn't even need to be driven anywhere, I could fly us!"   
Andra's eyes widened. "Fly? Both of us?"   
"Of course! Super strength comes along with my other powers. Carrying you would be nothing compared to trees or ocean liners."   
"Um, maybe we should get a ride."   
"Why? It really wouldn't be a problem -"   
"I don't really like flying."   
"C'mon, it's fun, it's safe, and a heck of a lot quicker than a car."   
Andra sighed. "If you're sure -"   
"Of course I'm sure!" Buttercup interrupted. "So what should we do on our first friendly outing?"   
"Well, there's a new Bernie Bernstein movie out, how about that?"   
"Ugh, that guy's still directing?" the bell rang faintly, interrupting Buttercup. "I'll write you a note during class. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he tried to do. C'mon!" 

***  That afternoon Andra and Buttercup paused at the entrance of the school where the sidewalk split, one half going towards Andra's house, the other going towards the Utonium house.   
"I want to head straight home today," Buttercup said, "ask the Professor if I can go out Friday and take care of some other stuff.   
Andra nodded. "Same here." She giggled, "Well, I don't need to ask the Professor, but you know what I mean."   
Buttercup smiled. "Yep. So. I'll see you later."   
"Yup," Andra replied, but neither girl moved.   
Andra knew what was holding Buttercup back. It was holding her, too. "why don't we hug? To a casual passerby, it'll be completely innocent. Girls _always_ hug eachother."   
"yeah," Buttercup said. Stiffly the girls moved forward and hugged eachother, nerves and backpacks making it harder than it should have been.   
"So I'll see you tomorrow," Andra said when they let go."   
"Mm-hm. Call me after you talk to your Mom. Call me after dinner, actually, I think I'm going to be busy this afternoon."   
Andra was curious, but didn't press further. If it was important, Buttercup would tell her later. "I will. Buy, Buttercup!" she started to walk away, before her mind could make more excuses for her to stay with Buttercup.   
Buttercup also began to leave, floating into the air. "Bye!" she called to Andra and quickly flew in the direction of her house.   
  
  



	15. Girl Talk

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

**Chapter 15 - Girl Talk**

Buttercup flew towards her home until she was sure she was out of Andra's sight. As soon as she couldn't see Andra, and before she was in sight of her house, Buttercup changed direction and flew towards City Hall.   
When she got there, Buttercup stood in front of the imposing double doors for a moment. She'd visited before of course, but she'd always been more comfortable busting through the Mayor's ceiling. But she had to see Miss Bellum, so she set her reservations aside and pushed open the door.   
City Hall was a deceptively large building with so many hallways leading to various places that Buttercup had gotten lost more than once, but she was beginning to get the hang of it. Today she found the Mayor's office easily.   
Buttercup pushed open the door leading into the reception area slightly and poked her head in. "Hello?"   
"Hold on, Ms. Keane," Miss Bellum said. "Buttercup? Come in, I'll be right with you." Buttercup floated in and took a seat as Miss Bellum finished her conversation. "I have to go, Ms. Keane, Buttercup's here. . . . Mm-hm, I'll tell her. . . . You too. Good bye." Miss Bellum hung up and folded her delicate hands in front of her on her desk. "That was Ms. Keane, as I'm sure you figured out. She says hi."   
"Oh," Buttercup said, fidgeting in her seat.   
"Is something wrong, Buttercup?"   
"Uh, kinda. Really I just needed some advice. Advice I can't get from the Professor, and I definitely can't talk to my sisters."   
"Yes, I've heard about that." Miss Bellum chuckled slightly at Buttercup's panicked look. "I met the Professor last week in the grocery store and asked how you Girls were. He told me about your on-going fight with Blossom. Don't worry, it's not like the whole town knows."   
"Whew." Buttercup relaxed noticeably.   
"So what kind of advice do you need, Buttercup?"   
"Well, it's, ah, relationship advice."   
"Ah," Miss Bellum said. She waited patiently for a moment for Buttercup to explain further. Miss Bellum remembered what it was like to be young and nervous when it came to dating, and she remembered how annoying it was when adults made assumptions about budding relationships before they had all the facts. That was the quickest way to alienate someone Buttercup's age. _Or end up in the hospital when its Buttercup herself._   
After a moment, Buttercup found her words. "On Friday I have a date with someone from school, only we aren't calling it a date because we doubt we're actually _allowed_ to. But because _we_ know it's a date. I was wondering. . . well, what are you supposed to _do_? What should I do? What should I expect he - my _friend_ to do?"   
Miss Bellum raised an eyebrow at Buttercup's stumble, but didn't comment. "Well, there are lots of things you do on dates. Have you and your friend decided what you want to do?"   
Buttercup shrugged. "We spent last hour arguing over movies. No decision yet. My friend wants some sappy romance, I want to see the new kung-fu movie." She did a karate chop in the air to demonstrate.   
_Sounds like a mismatched pair if I ever heard one!_ "It sounds like as soon as you agree on a movie you have a good idea of what to do."   
"But what about after that? Like. . . kissing and stuff?"   
"I'm afraid I don't have any good answers for you on that. It's a very personal decision. And, I suspect, this relationship has some very unique circumstances."   
Buttercup turned red. "How'd you know?"   
Miss Bellum smiled. "I've watched you grow up, Buttercup. I've been picking up clues about you and your sisters about your personalities, your likes and dislikes, for as long as I've known you. I've always had my suspicions, but I didn't want to ask. You're young and probably confused out of your mind, I didn't want to try to force you to label yourself. I wouldn't have said anything now if you hadn't avoided pronouns relating to your friend."   
"Oh. I suck at lying about that sort of stuff."   
"You've kept Blossom in the dark, haven't you? That's quite an accomplishment."   
Buttercup grinned. "It is, isn't it?"   
Miss Bellum leaned across her desk conspiratorially. "So, why don't you tell me about your friend?"   
For the first time in Miss Bellum's memory, Buttercup smiled shyly, exactly how Miss Bellum remembered smiling when she was asked about her first crush. For the first time since Buttercup entered Miss Bellum's office she seemed truly relaxed and. . . happy when talking about Andra.   
". . . So I spent all weekend in a dream state, until last night when I started freaking about how she might react. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't comfortable either. Till lunch, after Andra had a run-in with Blossom -"   
"Blossom?" MIss Bellum asked.   
"Yeah, she was being all nosy again, telling Andra to stay away from me or something. Anyway, after Andra told me about that, we were cool and started planning our date. Or whatever."   
"Miss Bellum!" the double doors leading to the Mayor's office opened, revealing the Mayor himself. "There you are, Miss - Buttercup! Even better!"   
"Hi, Mayor. What's up?'   
"Er, uh, well it's this darned pickle jar. I can never get it open! Would you mind terribly?" he held out the large jar towards Buttercup.   
Buttercup sighed. "No problem." She walked across the room, took the jar from the Mayor and opened it quickly.   
"Thanks, Buttercup!" the Mayor said when she handed the jar back to him. He fished out a spear. "Want one?"   
"No thanks."   
The Mayor shrugged, as if to say "Your loss," and went back into his office.   
Miss Bellum sighed when he was gone. "With men like him in the world, it's no wonder some of us find perfect women."   
"What did you say, Miss Bellum?" Buttercup asked.   
"Oh, nothing, Buttercup. Just thinking aloud. Was there anything else you needed from me?"   
"Any tips for the date?"   
Miss Bellum smiled. "Just be yourself, Buttercup, since that's obviously who Andra likes. That's all you really can do. Be nice, pay attention to her, just basically be a friend. But now you can hold hands going into the movies, or maybe even get a goodnight kiss."   
Buttercup gulped. "Um, how do you go about they? They usually screw it up on TV."   
Miss Bellum laughed. "It's not always as awful as it is on TV. If you want to kiss her when you bring her back home, give her a quick one and she'll respond if she wants to. Or maybe she'll get there first. It's a very spontaneous thing, and it takes all the fun out of the evening if you try and plan out every last detail."   
Buttercup sighed. "But it'd be easier if we did."   
"I know it would be, but few things are. You should probably be going now, the Professor will worry if you don't get home from school soon."   
Buttercup looked at her watch. "Yeah, I guess so. Bye, Miss Bellum."   
"Bye, Buttercup. If I don't see you before Friday, have fun. And good luck."   
Buttercup grinned and quickly left the office." 


	16. DATE

PpG3 _Author's Notes: I feel obligated to tell you that while in my original author's note I said that there wouldn't be any slash between the three Girls, I've changed my mind and in this chapter we begin to see a bit of slash between two of the Girls. Nothing major (I won't let this fic get higher than PG-13, and I still feel it's a PG fic), but if the concept squicks you, please leave now (or leave me my first ever flame!). Thanks for your time, and now I leave you to enjoy the 16th (dang!) chapter of Secrets and Surprises, "DATE"_

Secrets and Surprises 

Chapter 16 - DATE  "Buttercup!" Bubbles pounded on the door again. "Hurry up! I need to go to the bathroom!"   
"Use the one down stairs!" Buttercup shouted back.   
Bubbles stomped away from the door to Blossom, who was reading at her desk. "Blossom, will you get her out of there?"   
"Leave her alone, Bubbles."   
Bubbles stared at her sister for a moment. "What?"   
"I said to leave her alone."   
"Why? You've been bugging her for weeks! And now you're going to let her hog the bathroom for nearly an hour?" She put her hands on her hips. "It seems _very _suspicious to me."   
Blossom threw her book down. "I don't want to deal with it, Bubbles! Leave her, and me, alone!" she flew from the room, leaving a bewildered Bubbles behind her.   
Blossom flew down the stairs, buzzing over the Professor's head as he climbed the stairs. "Blossom?" he asked. She didn't stop, just kept flying towards the door.   
"Blossom!" the Professor called again, then sprinted down the stairs, trying to beat his daughter to the door.   
It was only because of Blossom's maturity the Professor caught up to her. Blossom had learned that it was best to open the door, rather than bust through it or the ceiling. When she stopped in front of the door the Professor leapt forward and firmly placed his hand on it. Blossom could still open it, she was much stronger than him, but she'd also end up throwing him across the room, something none of the Girls did. Intentionally.   
"Blossom," the Professor panted. "What's. . . wrong?"   
Blossom folded her arms across her chest. "Nothing."   
"Oh? Then what possessed you," pause for a breath, "to try and fly off without notice?"   
"Nothing," Blossom muttered again.   
"I think you and I need to have a talk." The Professor checked his watch. "Buttercup! It's almost six! If you're going to get to Andra's on time you'd better go now!" He turned back to Blossom. "We'll talk after Buttercup's gone, since I have a sense that, once again, whatever's bothering you is about her."   
"Why don't you talk to _her_ then?"   
"She's leaving at the moment. Or should be." He turned again towards the Girl's room. "BUTTERCUP!"   
"I'm coming!" was Buttercup's faint reply.   
The Professor turned back to Blossom. "Anyway, if I need to, I'll talk to her after she returns. Why don't you go wait on the couch."   
"Fine." Blossom floated off just as Buttercup zipped down the stairs, earning her a dirty look from Blossom.   
The Professor did a double take when Buttercup stopped in front of him. He hardly recognized her now. Usually clad in old jeans and a trademark green shirt, she was now in a dress. She hadn't worn one since she was seven, when the Girls decided they didn't want to wear their old pink, blue and green dresses anymore. He hadn't even realized Buttercup _owned_ this particular dress: a green camouflage mini dress. The outfit was still casual, but for Buttercup it might as well have been a ball gown.   
"You look very nice," the Professor managed to compliment her.   
Buttercup blushed. "Thanks." She waited another moment before she said, "Do you need anything?"   
"No, why?"   
"You're blocking the door."   
The Professor laughed lightly as he realized that he was still holding the door closed. "I'm sorry, Buttercup." He removed his hand and bent down to kiss Buttercup's cheek. "Have fun. What time are you going to be back?"   
"Ten?"   
The Professor frowned. "Try again."   
"Okay, nine o'clock. At the latest. I promise."   
"That's better." The Professor opened the door for Buttercup. "Bye, sweetie."   
Buttercup rushed out. "Bye, Professor!" 

***  At 6:30 exactly, Buttercup arrived at Andra's front door. She quickly ran a hand over her hair to be sure it was smooth, then straightened the skirt of her dress before ringing the doorbell.   
A rush of footsteps from inside, then Andra was at the door. "Hi, Buttercup!"   
Buttercup's eyes widened when she saw Andra, but she managed to say, "Hi."   
Andra had also dressed up for their "outing." She was wearing a royal blue wrap around skirt with silver swirls and silver fringe around the bottom, and a matching blouse.   
"You wanna come in for a minute?" Andra asked. "We've got time, right?"   
Buttercup managed to find her voice. "Sure. I mean, yeah, we do." She giggled nervously.   
Andra giggled too, as she stepped away from the door to give Buttercup room. "I'm nervous, too," she whispered as they walked across the living room.   
"Hi, Cassie," Buttercup said to Andra's mother when they reached the kitchen where Cassie was making a light dinner for herself.   
"Hi, Buttercup! Don't you look nice tonight. Both of you look very nice." Cassie smiled at the girls. She knew what was going on, she wasn't blind, she was just happy that Andra was happy. Besides, Andra couldn't be safer with a real life super hero as her best/girl friend. No one else would be able to get _near_ Andra, and Buttercup wouldn't have been a super hero if she was the type that tried to hurt people who didn't provoke her. _Besides, both of them are way too nervous to do anything but watch the movie and maybe steal a good night kiss. I'll have a talk with Andra later._   
Cassie glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. "I'd love to keep you girls here to chat, or perhaps to feed you, but if you don't hurry you'll be late for your movie. Have fun, girls. Don't fly too fast, please, Buttercup."   
"What's your definition of 'too fast?'" Buttercup asked.   
"I'll let you know," Andra assured her. "Come on!" Andra grabbed Buttercup's hand and led her out the front door, calling a hasty goodbye to her mother over her shoulder.   
"Okay, how do we do this?" Andra asked Buttercup when they were on the porch. "Do I climb on your back or what?"   
"No way," Buttercup said. "Sometimes I can hardly fly with a backpack on my back, I don't want to try it with a person."   
"Whatever happened to that super strength of yours?"   
"It's not the weight, it's just that it throws my balance off. Anyway, I figured I'd just carry you, like this." Before Andra could say anything, Buttercup put one arm around Andra's shoulders, the other under her knees and in one swift motion lifted both of them into the air.   
"Eep," Andra squeaked as she looked at the ground.   
"Eep?" Buttercup asked. "Andra, we're not five feet off the ground yet!"   
Andra blushed. "Uh, right."   
"C'mon, put your arms around my neck. I won't go too fast and I definitely won't drop you, okay?"   
Andra wrapped an arm securely around Buttercup's neck. "I know you won't. On purpose anyway. It's just fun to mess with you."   
Buttercup was tempted to fly at top speed for a moment, just to mess with Andra, but in an amazing moment of perception, Buttercup saw that Andra's beautiful grin was hiding fear. Andra really _was_ afraid of flying. _She must be putting up with this just for me. . . . No one's ever done that before._   
"I'll get you back later," Buttercup finally muttered as she finally began to fly, at a moderate speed, towards the theater. 

***  As soon as Buttercup was out of sight, the Professor went to the living room where Blossom was curled up in one corner of the couch. He sat at the opposite end.   
"Blossom, I want you to be honest with me. What's wrong? Why are you so upset with Buttercup lately?"   
Blossom shrugged. "Personal stuff."   
"Normally I'm an advocate for letting you Girls solve problems amongst yourselves, but this has gone on too long and is becoming too serious. You have to tell me what's going on, Blossom."   
Blossom seemed to sink further into the couch. "You'll be mad at me," she said in a small voice that resembled Bubbles'.   
The Professor sighed. "Well, yes, there is that possibility. But just because I may be angry or disappointed doesn't mean I love you any less."   
"It's - it's really hard to explain."   
"We have all evening," the Professor said gently.   
Blossom sighed heavily. "You're right, it is about Buttercup. She's, I mean, I think there's more between her and Andra than just being friends. Remember Buttercup was acting weird all last weekend?" the Professor nodded. "And then they acted weird all week at school. They glanced at eachother during class and. . . I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it was exactly how boys and girls who like eachother act on TV. And you saw Buttercup tonight! She was in a dress! She wouldn't wear a dress for just anybody!"   
"Yes, I noticed that, too. But haven't we already discussed that Buttercup is free to like anybody she wants?"   
Blossom's cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded.   
"So why are you still having a problem?"   
Blossom started to answer "I don't -" but cut herself off and sank back down into the couch.   
Things began to click together in the Professor's mind. Blossom's sudden need to know everything about Buttercup's life, by any means necessary. Blossom trying to control who Buttercup could be friends with, and when she could see them. Buttercup getting upset whenever something involving Buttercup was out of her control. All signs he'd prepared himself to look for when the Girls started to date, but never did he expect to see them in the Girls themselves!   
"Blossom, I need to ask you one more important question, and you need to answer me truthfully. I promise I won't be mad. I won't yell or judge you or anything like that, alright?" Blossom nodded. "Do you like Buttercup, honey?"   
Blossom's eyes widened in shock and her mouth full open slightly. "Why - what - how -"   
"I'm sorry if I've jumped to conclusions, sweetie -"   
"But you're right!" Blossom wailed. She threw herself into the Professor's arms, sobbing hysterically and nearly knocking him backwards off the couch. "I didn't want to say anything because it's wrong! I like boys, and it's unbelievably wrong to like someone in your family. They have laws against that sort of thing!"   
The Professor patted Blossom's head. "Ssh, Blossom, it's all right -"   
"No it's not! Everybody knows that! _Nobody_ likes their sister. It's just _wrong_!"   
"blossom, please, calm down a moment," the Professor said. "I want to talk."   
Slowly, Blossom's sobs reduced to quiet sniffs.   
"There's something you should know about you and your sisters," the Professor said quietly, still stroking Blossom's hair. "Technically, you aren't sisters."   
Blossom lifted her head from the Professor's shoulder. "What do you mean?"   
"Shortly after your creation I analyzed you Girls' DNA, trying to figure out what it was about the Chemical X that made you into super heroes and discovered that while your DNA is similar, you aren't exactly sisters."   
"Then why -"   
"Did I say you were sisters? It was easiest to say you were sisters and raise you as such. Few people would understand the complexities of your DNA, I'm even baffled sometimes. But I also thought it would be better for you to believe yourselves to be sisters, rather than random people who happened to be created together."   
"So. . . Buttercup's not my sister," Blossom said slowly.   
"Not genetically, no."   
"But. . . it's still gross to like her!"   
The Professor sighed. "It seems like that now, I'm sure. You can't change values you've held all your life in a few minutes. But I want you to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking another girl, you just need to go about it the right way."   
Blossom hesitated a moment before speaking. "Professor?"   
"Yes, Blossom?"   
"How did you know? I. . . I haven't even written this in my diary. I wanted it to go away and I didn't want to remember."   
"I just put the pieces together now," the Professor admitted. "As you Girls have started to hit puberty, I knew you'd become interested in other people and want to start dating, so I read up on things, like when and where should you be allowed to go, but I also read about warning signs of possibly unhealthy relationships. I'm afraid, Blossom, that you've been displaying classic signs of the jealous, manipulative girlfriend. And you have been ever since Buttercup became friends with Andra."   
Blossom nodded, looking absolutely miserable. "I knew it was wrong to keep bugging Buttercup, deep down. But. . . I guess maybe I thought if I can't have her, nobody can."   
"But you know differently now?"   
Blossom shrugged. "Now I _could_ technically have her -"   
"But she's obviously found someone she's happy with. You have no right to try and break up a relationship so you can squeeze in."   
Blossom sighed. "I know. I know! It's just. . . ."   
"Hard?" the Professor offered. Blossom nodded. "I wish I had a way to make it easier for you, but nothing I make down in the lab can change human nature."   
"I know," Blossom muttered.   
"You go back up to your room," the Professor suggested gently. "Rest for awhile, read some of those Japanese novels you got last week and have some quiet fun. Tonight after Buttercup gets home, or tomorrow morning if she's too tired, I'll explain to your sisters what I've told you. I think they deserve to know too, right?"   
"Right. Thanks, Professor." Blossom hugged the Professor tightly.   
The Professor patted Blossom's back gently. "Any time, Sweetheart." 

***  "Man, that was sooo cool when she had the gun and was threatening to shoot them!"   
Andra made a face. "No, the cool part was the end. When that guy opened that cupboard where the kids were hiding, _that_ was creepy."   
"Was not."   
"You jumped too, Buttercup!"   
"Only because you practically spilled the popcorn in my lap."   
Andra shook her head. "Whatever you say, Buttercup." She looked at the large neon clock above their heads and sighed. "15 minutes to get home."   
Buttercup made a face. "Dang, not nearly enough time to do anything else. C'mon, let's get outside, then I'll take ya' home."   
The girls flew home in silence. Andra was slightly more comfortable flying now, but other things were on her mind at the moment making her tense: what would happen when they got to her house? A hug? A kiss? Nothing?   
Buttercup gently set Andra down on her front porch, though Buttercup tripped slightly when she set her feet down, causing her to stumble into Andra's arms. Both girls giggled nervously as Buttercup regained her footing.   
"Um, this was fun," Andra said. "We should, like, do it again."   
"Definitely," Buttercup agreed quickly. "And, uh." _Just do it!_ Buttercup leaned in and kissed Andra, and Andra, thinking quickly, put an arm around Buttercup to keep her from pulling away immediately.   
A light flashed suddenly, causing Buttercup and Andra to jerk back in surprise. "Oooh, look at the dykes!" a grating voice called from the bushes. A head popped up and another picture flashed.   
"Mitch Mitchelson!" Buttercup shrieked, her voice almost as high as Bubbles' could get. There was a rustling in the bushes as Mitch ran away, but Buttercup was after him immediately.   
She caught up to him in a small patch of trees behind Andra's house. Buttercup dove down from above Mitch's head and tackled him to the ground.   
"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Buttercup demanded as she stood over Mitch.   
"Don't hurt me," Mitch wailed.   
Buttercup reached down toward him, causing Mitch to shrink back with a whimper, but Buttercup was simply grabbing the camera from his grip. She threw the camera to the ground, stomped on it and, to ensure it was destroyed, melted it into a black chunk of scrap with her eye beams.   
Buttercup knelt next to Mitch. "if you don't tell me what you were doing, you could be next."   
"I'll tell!" Mitch said quickly. "Some of the guys at school heard you and the new girl were going out tonight. We wanted proof that you two were gay."   
"Why was it any business of yours?!" Buttercup demanded. Mitch simply whimpered. "You listen to me, Mitch Mitchelson. If anybody finds out what happened tonight, and I mean _anybody_, I will hold you personally responsible."   
"No, you can't!"   
"Why not?"   
"Be - because -"   
"Oh, I don't want to hear it!" Buttercup said, standing up. "Just remember that warning. I _will_ beat you to a pulp less recognizable than your camera if I hear about you saying anything." Without another word she turned from Mitch and flew back to Andra's front porch.   
Andra's was still there, sitting on the porch swing with her mother. Andra was paler than ever and appeared to be shaking. "It's happening again," she whispered when she saw Buttercup. "It's happening all over again."   
"She's told me everything, Buttercup," Cassie said gently as she held her daughter close.   
"I had to," Andra said quietly. "She heard you chase after Mitch and came out to see what was happening."   
"It's alright, Buttercup," Cassie said when she saw Buttercup's reddening face. "I'll admit, I already had some idea about you and Andra. I have no problem with it. And I'm glad you chased off that little cretin of a boy."   
Buttercup smiled slightly. "I melted his camera and scared him pretty good."   
"We won't have to move again, will we, Mom?" Andra asked.   
"No!" Buttercup said.   
"Definitely not," Cassie said firmly. "I like Townsville. You like Townsville. The vast majority of people here are wonderful, open minded individuals. I won't let a few idiots chase us out."   
"I won't either," Buttercup said firmly. Andra smiled gratefully.   
"Will you be needing a ride home, Buttercup?" Cassie asked.   
"Oh crap," Buttercup muttered. "My curfew! No, thanks, Cassie. I'll fly."   
"I'll give the Professor a call and tell him I kept you talking. Unless you'd like me to say otherwise?"   
"No, no. I'll. . . tell him later. But thanks." Buttercup turned to Andra. "Call me tomorrow? On Sunday?"   
Andra nodded. "I'll try."   
"Don't worry about Mitch. He's a jerk, but I've got him pretty much beaten into submission."   
"I hope so." 

***  The Professor was waiting near the front door when Buttercup returned home.   
"I was getting worried when it got close to nine and you weren't home," he said as he hugged Buttercup.   
"I can take care of myself," Buttercup muttered. "Besides, Cassie called you, right?"   
"Yes, but I'm afraid she doesn't lie very well."   
"What do you mean?"   
"With some people you can just tell when they lie. Cassie is one of them. So would you like to tell me what happened tonight?"   
"No really," Buttercup said. "It wasn't serious or anything."   
"Buttercup, too many secrets are being kept in this family lately. You can keep this one for tonight, but tomorrow I want to know what's happening, alright?"   
Buttercup sighed. "Alright, Professor." _Maybe by then _I'll_ understand everything that happened tonight._   



	17. Some Answers, More Questions

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

Chapter 17 - Some Answers, More Questions

Buttercup awoke the next morning when Bubbles shook her violently. "C'mon, Buttercup! The Professor wants to talk to us."   
"Go away," Buttercup mumbled, pulling her quilt over her head. "It's too early."   
"Buttercup. It's 11 o'clock."   
"It's before noon, it's too early."   
Bubbles sighed and stood over Buttercup for a moment. "This is your last warning, Buttercup."   
"Same to you. Now go away!"   
"No!" Bubbles grabbed the edge of Buttercup's quilt and pulled. Hard.   
"AUGH!" Buttercup had been so twisted in her blankets that when Bubbles pulled them off the bed Buttercup was spun into the air. THUMP! And landed hard on the floor.   
"Owww," Buttercup muttered.   
"Why are you so tired? You didn't even stay up late."   
"It was a long night," Buttercup mumbled. "I'm awake, you can stop hovering over me now."   
Bubbles landed softly. "Sorry. The Professor wants us down in the lab ASAP."   
"I'll be down in a sec," Buttercup said as she pulled herself up from the floor. "I'll just get dressed quick." Bubbles floated out of the room and in a minute Buttercup joined her.   
"So what's so important that the Professor needed you to pull me out of bed?" Buttercup asked as she and her sister floated down the stairs.   
Bubbles shrugged then pulled open the door to the lab. "Professor! She's up!" she screeched.   
"Thanks, Bubbles," the Professor called up. "Come down here you two."   
Bubbles and Buttercup floated down the stairs. "Hey, where's Blossom?"   
Bubbles shrugged again. "I haven't seen her since breakfast. The Professor just told me to get you."   
"Blossom and I spoke last night," the Professor said. "She and I decided that you two needed to hear this as well. Why don't we sit down," the Professor indicated the folding table and chairs in a dark corner of his lab. The Girls floated over and took seats. The Professor sat in front of them after pausing to turn on a bare bulb over the table.   
"This is something that's hard for me to explain to you Girls," the Professor said. "I still don't entirely understand it myself. Perhaps it was wrong for me to keep it secret for so long."   
Buttercup looked confused. "Is something wrong, Professor?"   
"Are you sick?" Bubbles asked in a small voice.   
The Professor smiled gently. "Perhaps I was being a bit too serious. Nothings really wrong, I'm not sick, I just have something important to share with you Girls."   
Buttercup and Bubbles sighed with relief.   
"You Girls all love each other, right? I know you're not on the best of terms with Blossom right now, Buttercup, but you love her and Bubbles as sisters and friends, right?"   
Buttercup shrugged. "I guess so."   
"You too, Bubbles?"   
"Uh-huh."   
"I'm glad to hear that, because what I have to say relates to that." The Professor shifted in his seat before continuing. "You see, Girls, I haven't been exactly honest with you all these years. You aren't really sisters." Bubbles and Buttercup gasped. "I know it's a shock, but let me explain," the Professor continued quickly. "I discovered this shortly after you Girls were created. In theory, your DNA should be identical, except for the genes for hair and eye color. On careful analysis however, I discovered that your DNA was remarkably different. That's why you're taller than your sisters now, Buttercup. And why Blossom has ice breath as a special power. Those types of things are encoded in your DNA."   
"Why have you always said we were sisters, then?" Bubbles asked.   
"Because I felt it would be best for you. Perhaps you aren't biologically related, but I wanted us to be a family, and you know it's possible to be a family without being related, right?"   
"Of course it is," Buttercup said. "We've always known we weren't related to you, but you're still part of our family. This is the same thing. Sort of."   
"If we're not related, how come we look so much alike?" Bubbles demanded. Aside from the height and coloring issues, the Girls all had similar builds and features.   
"I'm not sure, Bubbles, but I can make a few guess. I believe that it all comes down to the Chemical X in your systems. You know various ethnic groups, especially if they keep to themselves, have distinctive body types and facial features that identify them as belonging to that group. I believe the Chemical X had a similar effect on you Girls."   
"So we're the Chemical X ethnic group?" Buttercup asked.   
The Professor smiled. "That's one way of putting it."   
"So we're related. . . but not close enough to be real sisters," Bubbles said quietly.   
The Professor reached across the table and took Bubbles' hands. "Sweetheart, just because you're not sisters by blood doesn't mean the bond you have is any weaker. You and Blossom and Buttercup aren't any different now than you were five minutes ago, now you just know more about each other."   
"If it makes you feel any better, I think it's weird too," Buttercup said quietly. "But you're still my sister to me."   
"I am?" Bubbles asked.   
"Yeah. Who would I pick on if I didn't have a baby sister?"   
"I'm not a baby!" Bubbles cried.   
"Yes you are," Buttercup retorted.   
"Girls!" the Professor interrupted. "I'm glad you're taking this well, but there's no need to argue!"   
"Sorry, Professor," Bubbles and Buttercup said in unison.   
"Now, why don't you go upstairs, Bubbles, I want to talk to Buttercup for a few minutes, okay? And when we're done, why don't all of us go out to lunch?"   
"Yeah!" Bubbles cheered. She zipped up the stairs, presumably to find Blossom.   
"What do you want?" Buttercup asked when Bubbles was gone.   
"We made an agreement last night, you're supposed to tell me what happened last night."   
Buttercup sighed. "When we - well, Mitch Mitchelson, he was hiding in the bushes at Andra's house when we got back. He said some stuff, so I chased him down."   
"What sort of things did he say?" Buttercup didn't answer, she just stared at her hands. "Buttercup, you can tell me whatever it is that's bothering you."   
Buttercup sighed. She couldn't explain what happened with Mitch unless she told the Professor everything, and the Professor wouldn't let her go until she explained about Mitch. "Professor, Andra and I. . . we kinda 'with held the truth.' We didn't go out as friends last night. We went out. Y'know, on a date."   
The Professor nodded. "I see."   
"Are you mad?"   
"Why would I be mad, Buttercup?"   
"'Cause I almost lied?"   
"Buttercup, you didn't do anything wrong. As you said, you with held the truth, but I didn't probe deeply. You have nothing to be worried about."   
"What about the whole Andra and me. . . thing?"   
_I thought the Girls knew I was more open minded than this!_ "Buttercup, I don't care _who_ you want to go out with, male or female. I'm only concerned with your safety and your happiness. If you wanted to go out with Mitch, then I'd be concerned, but Andra seems to be an upstanding young woman, I can think of few people I'd be as comfortable seeing you with."   
"And the date?"   
"Well, I do wish I had known that it was an actual date. You only get one first, you know." The Professor sighed. "I remember my first date. A girl named Rosetta Stone. Charming girl -"   
"Professor?" Buttercup interrupted.   
"Hm? Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent. Anyway, I understand somewhat your reasons for not telling me, but you'll be honest with me about things like this in the future, right?"   
"Definitely."   
"Now, what was Mitch doing at Andra's?"   
Buttercup frowned. "When Andra and I got back to her house, we stayed out on the porch and, uh," she started to blush, "talked and. . . oh, to heck with it. I kissed her. Then Mitch popped up with a camera and said something about dykes." Buttercup spit out the last word as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "So I chased after him and destroyed the camera. The jerk, he deserved more. I let him off easily."   
The Professor was frowning as well. "I can't believe anyone would do such a thing!"   
"You don't know Mitch very well," Buttercup grumbled. "And - promise not to tell? It's nothin' bad," the Professor nodded. "It's 'cause of jerks like Mitch that Andra and Cassie had to move. You should have seen Andra when I got back from dealing with Mitch. She was shaking and looked like she was gonna faint. She thought they'd hafta move again."   
"The poor thing," the Professor said quietly, then he stood up. "I'm going to call Mitch's parents right now and give them a piece of my mind for raising a child that could harbor such prejudices -"   
Buttercup was about to interrupt him when the phone beat her to it. "Andra!" she exclaimed. "I bet it's her. She said she'd call."   
The Professor sighed. "Use the phone down here, I'll be upstairs. Try not to be too long, all right? I'm sure Bubbles is getting impatient to go."   
"Yeah, yeah," Buttercup muttered as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"   
"Hi, Buttercup. It's Andra."   
"Hi! How ya' doin'? Are you okay?"   
Andra laughed nervously. "I wanted to apologize for that. I totally over-reacted. Mitch is a jerk, but I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."   
"I wish I was so sure," Buttercup muttered.   
"What?"   
"Uh, I'm glad you're okay. I was worried." After an awkward pause, Buttercup spoke again. "Uh, did your Mom say anything about last night?"   
"Yeah, she did," Andra said. "At breakfast this morning she reassured me that everything was okay and she was glad we were friends, romantically involved or not. You?"   
"I had to tell the Professor everything this morning. He said there were too many secrets in the family, so we cleared some stuff up. Everything's cool though."   
"Do your sisters know?"   
_I don't technically _have_ sisters anymore! _"No, and I don't think I'm going to say anything. For awhile at least. We just found out some other weird news, I think it would be better if I waited, if I tell them at all. I mean, it's not that important, is it?"   
"It could be," Andra said. "What sort of news did you find out?"   
"Um, it's a family thing. I don't think I should be telling anybody."   
"Oh," Andra said, sounding slightly hurt.   
"I'd like to tell you, I really would!" Buttercup said quickly. "But when I said we just found out, I mean less than ten minutes ago. I'm still processing everything."   
"Okay," Andra said, sounding slightly happier. "Anyways, I was calling to see if you wanted to go out to lunch or something. Mom offered to treat us, 'specially since you took care of Mitch last night."   
Buttercup sighed. "I wish you'd called earlier! The Professor just arranged a 'quality family time' lunch, since we haven't exactly been acting family-like lately."   
"_That's_ Blossom's fault," Andra said decisively. "I don't mean to be harsh, but she was pretty harsh herself on Monday."   
"Yeah, trying living with that 24/7. I don't know what's gotten into her lately. Maybe I'll find out at lunch."   
"Maybe, but I won't be holding my breath."   
"Smart move," Buttercup said. "I gotta go, before Bubbles mutinies and goes out for lunch by herself."   
Andra laughed and Buttercup felt the familiar warmth creep through her at the sound. "Okay, bye!"   
"'Bye." Buttercup hung up the phone and zipped up the stairs. The Professor was waiting by the front door for her. "What's up?" Buttercup asked.   
"I just wanted to say one more thing to you privately," the Professor said. "When I talked with Blossom last night, we cleared some things up so she should be acting better around you, but I need you to help, okay?"   
"Uh, sure, what do you need?"   
"Be nice to her, all right? I know she's never really been your favorite person, so perhaps 'nice' is a bit much, but can you at least try not to antagonize her?"   
Buttercup shrugged. "I'll try, I guess."   
The Professor put a hand on Buttercup's shoulder. "That's my Girl," he said warmly. "Now come on, we want to get to lunch before dinner time, don't we?" 

*** 

Lunch for the members of the Utonium family was a strained affair that afternoon, though in a different way than it had been at the beginning of Buttercup and Blossom's feud. Now the tense silence wasn't brought on by anger, merely awkwardness. Bubbles stayed pressed against the Professor's side in the booth of their table, while Buttercup and Blossom sat in chairs across from them. Buttercup and the Professor were the only ones who really attempted conversation. Blossom spoke occasionally to Bubbles or the Professor, but was once again pointedly ignoring Buttercup. If the Professor hadn't asked her to be nice, Buttercup would have said something rude to blossom, just to get a response.   
But occasionally, Buttercup would catch Blossom glancing sideways at her, and looking away as soon as she noticed Buttercup saw, or her elbow would brush against Buttercup and she'd pull away quickly.   
_Now who's keeping secrets?_ Buttercup wondered. 


	18. Fight! Fight! Fight!

PpG3

Secrets and Surprises

Chapter 18 - Fight! Fight! Fight!

Buttercup was running late Monday morning. She'd stayed up late wondering about Blossom's latest personality quirks, so Buttercup ended up sleeping through her alarm that morning. Then she couldn't find any clean clothes that she liked, so she ended up in a ragged pair of jeans and a T-shirt that barely fit her. By the time she'd be put the outfit together and finished debating whether or not she'd get kicked out of school for it (it was a very tight T-shirt), Buttercup had ten minutes before school started. She flew from her room and immediately went to the front door, calling a hasty good bye to the Professor. It wasn't until she was at the school door that she realized she'd forgotten her lunch, nor did she have money to buy a school lunch.   
_Today is going to suck,_ Buttercup thought glumly as she pulled the school door open.   
Buttercup forced her way through the crowd to get to her locker, not noticing how conversations suddenly died when she walked by. She was too frustrated, and more than a little self conscious about her clothing, so she was purposefully ignoring them.   
When Buttercup finally reached her locker, she was surprised that Andra wasn't there. "What the heck?" she muttered. She grabbed the arm of a girl walking past. "Hey, has the warning bell rung yet?" The girl didn't answer. She shrugged and pulled her arm out of Buttercup's gasp before hurrying to catch up to her clique.   
The one minute warning bell rang then, answering that question, but it didn't tell her where Andra was. _Maybe she's in class already,_ Buttercup thought. She quickly got the book she needed from her locker, then ran to class.   
Andra wasn't there.   
Buttercup turned back to Bubbles, who sat behind her. "Hey, did you see Andra before I got here?"   
"I don't think so. Did you, Blossom?" Blossom glanced up from the book she was reading, but quickly averted her eyes when she saw Buttercup's shirt. "Um, no, I haven't seen her either."   
Buttercup sighed and slumped down in her seat as the final bell rang. She ignored Mr. Hanson as he read the day's announcements, concentrated on where Andra could be. _Sick? She sounded fine on the phone yesterday. A family emergency? But she said her mother is an only child and her grandparents are dead. She hasn't talked to anyone on her dad's side of the family since the divorce. Something happened to Cassie? I hope not!_ The list of possibilities kept getting darker until just as Mr. Hanson finished the announcements to classroom door opened and Andra quietly stepped into the room. Buttercup wanted to leap from her chair and fly to Andra, but she somehow managed to restrain herself.   
Andra's eyes were rimmed with red and her face was slightly flushed. Her hair, usually perfectly styled, was frazzled, with several strands pulled out of a low pony tail. She handed the blue tardy pass from the office to Mr. Hanson, then sunk into the seat next to Buttercup.   
"You okay?" Buttercup whispered.   
Andra shook her head.   
"What's wrong?"   
"Ms. Utonium?" Mr. Hanson said sternly.   
Buttercup slunk down in her seat. "Sorry," she said, but she sent a look to Andra that said "we'll talk later." If Andra noticed, she ignored it.   
Andra was abnormally subdued that morning. It wasn't like last week, when she was covertly glancing at Buttercup. She ignored Buttercup completely, not answering questions or accepting notes passed during class. She was focused completely on the teachers during class, and on the floor when she walked between them.   
By the time lunch came, Buttercup knew that something was going on, besides Andra's sudden silence. Instead of Andra glancing at her, now it was the other students. And Andra wasn't the only one giving her the silent treatment, every other student in the school was.   
Buttercup didn't let Andra go to their locker to get her lunch at lunch time. Instead, Buttercup grabbed Andra's arm and dragged her outside to their clearing, ignoring the hushed whispers from the other kids they passed.   
"All right, I'm not letting you out of here until you tell me what's going on," Buttercup told Andra.   
Andra pulled her knees up to her chest. "When I got to school this morning," she whispered, "there was a group of kids waiting at the locker. They said some stuff about you and me and a couple threatened to beat me up."   
"Mitch Mitchelson," Buttercup hissed. "I'll kill him. I swear!" She lifted herself off the ground. "Wait right here," she told Andra. "I'll be back in a moment." She flew above the trees and scanned the playground. There he was, standing with a bunch of boys under the monkey bars.   
"Mitch!" Buttercup shrieked. Mitch looked up with wide eyes, but Buttercup was on top of him before he could run. "I warned you," she said as she lifted him by his shirt collar. "I warned you not to say anything!"   
"I didn't! I swear! Don't hurt me!"   
"Why the hell should I believe you? Everyone in the freakin' school is talking about me and Andra and nobody knew about it but you!"   
"Let him go, Buttercup."   
Buttercup looked up and saw a circle of boys standing around her and Mitch. She wasn't sure which one had spoken the first time, but Harry Pitt spoke next. "He didn't tell anyone, Buttercup. He didn't have to. We all knew you were a dyke."   
In a flash, Buttercup was off of Mitch and was instead pushing Harry to the ground. "You know absolutely _nothing_ about me or Andra."   
"Somebody get her!" Mitch shouted as he pulled himself up from the ground.   
Before Buttercup could react, four boys jumped on her, pulling her off of Harry, then pushing her back down to the ground.   
"Get off of me!" Buttercup cried as she flung her arms and legs desperately. But every time she threw one boy off, another was there to take his place.   
"Leave her alone!"   
"Andra!" Buttercup called. Mitch punched her in the stomach.   
"It's the other dyke!" and eight grade boy Buttercup didn't know shouted. "Someone help me get her, too!" Harry let go of Buttercup's right arm to join the other boy."   
"Don't you touch her," Buttercup growled.   
"Aww, she's worried!" Mitch mocked.   
"You should be, too," Buttercup said. Before Mitch or any of the other boys could respond, Buttercup used her free arm to punch Mitch in the face. As he fell back, he tripped the boy holding Buttercup's legs. The third boy ran before Buttercup could do any damage to him.   
With the crowd gone, Buttercup could see the eighth grade boy and Harry. They had Andra pinned against a tree and were taking turns punching her in the stomach.   
"Why you little. . ." Buttercup muttered, too angry to even complete her thought. The boys didn't hear her, and she didn't bother to warn them when she flew directly into them, knocking them both to the ground breathless.   
Carefully, Buttercup lifted Andra from the ground. She'd collapsed when the boys hadn't been able to hold her up. "Are you okay?"   
"I tried to stop them," Andra whispered.   
"I know," Buttercup said. "Stay right here, don't move. I'm going to take care of those jerks."   
Andra grabbed Buttercup's arm and held tight. "No, Buttercup. You'll get into trouble."   
"I don't care! Besides, it's not like anyone is out here to give me detention."   
"What on Earth happened out here?"   
"Or maybe there is," Andra said with a wry smile.   
"It's Buttercup's fault, Mrs. Stone!" Mitch said as soon as he saw the assistant principal. "She tried to beat me up for no reason!"   
"And your buddies beat up Andra for no reason!" Buttercup shouted. "Mrs. Stone, Andra needs to go to the nurse. She got beat up pretty bad."   
"Oh my," Mrs. Stone said when she saw Andra slumped listlessly in Buttercup's arms. "Can you carry her there, Buttercup? You can fly in the school just this once. Be careful!" she warned when a groan escaped Andra as she was being lifted. "And wait in the office for me. I'm going to want to talk to you and these boys." Buttercup sighed but nodded, then slowly flew Andra into the school while Mrs. Stone rounded up the boys.   
"What happened to you two?" the nurse asked when Buttercup and Andra arrived in her office.   
"A bunch of jerks on the playground," Buttercup answered. "I'm okay, but Andra looks like she might faint."   
"The poor thing," the nurse murmured as she took Andra from Buttercup's arms. "Will you get me an ice pack for her? Then feel free to clean yourself up. You've got some nasty looking cuts." Buttercup got the ice pack quickly, then went to the sink and began cleaning her face with some paper towel.   
A few minutes later, Mrs. Stone was at the infirmary door. "How are the patients?"   
"I want to know where the aides were while this was going on," the nurse said sternly. "Andra will probably have to go home. She got beat up pretty bad. She might even have a concussion."   
"Are you all right, Buttercup?"   
Buttercup shrugged. "Some bruises, some cuts. I've had worse."   
"I'm sure you have. Can she come with me for a conference?" Mrs. Stone asked the nurse.   
"That should be all right."   
Buttercup hopped off the cot she'd been sitting on and followed Mrs. Stone into her office where the five boys, all in various states of disshevelment, were sitting. Buttercup sat as far as she could from them, while Mrs. Stone sat behind her desk.   
"Buttercup, will you tell me what happened out there?" Mrs. Stone asked.   
"How come she gets to go first?" the boy who'd led the attack on Andra demanded.   
"You'll all get a turn to speak," Mrs. Stone said sharply. "And I'll thank you not to interrupt while someone else is talking." The boy muttered something about "damn super heroes," but leaned back and didn't say any more.   
"Somebody has been spreading rumors about me and Andra," Buttercup said. "I assumed it was MItch because of something that happened this weekend. Then his cronies decided they'd beat me up because of said rumors. When Andra came over and told them to stop, they beat her up too! Two large boys against one average sized girl! _Without_ super powers." She glared at each boy in turn.   
Mrs. Stone turned to the eighth grade boy. "Sam? What do you have to say?"   
"Buttercup threatened Mitch first, saying he started the rumors. We protected him."   
"And what about Andra?" Mrs. Stone asked.   
"She tried to attack us, too."   
"While you were 'protecting' Mitch?"   
"Yeah."   
"Andra didn't attack you and you know it!" Buttercup shouted.   
"Buttercup, please don't interrupt," Mrs. Stone said. To the boys she said, "does anyone have anything else to add?"   
"Buttercup's a maniac," Mitch pronounced.   
"What makes you say that?" Mrs. Stone asked before Buttercup could respond.   
"She threatened me Friday night. When I caught her and the dyke kissing."   
Buttercup leapt from her chair and hovered in front of Mitch. "How dare you call Andra that? I swear, Mitch Mitchelson -"   
"Buttercup! Sit down!" Mrs. Stone demanded. She followed Buttercup with her eyes until the Girl did so. "Mitch, I will not tolerate such language in this school. That's your only warning."   
"But Mrs. Stone, you should have seen them! If Buttercup hadn't destroyed my camera I could prove it. It was disgusting."   
"I don't need proof," Mrs. Stone said. "It's no business of mine what students choose to do off school property so long as they don't do anything illegal."   
"But it was gross!" Mitch insisted.   
"Your morals don't decide the laws here, Mitch. No matter what you believe is right or wrong, you and your friends aren't allowed to use violence to enforce your point of view. You five have detention after school for two weeks, and if I hear of any more violence from any of you, it's another week per infraction, got it?"   
"What about Buttercup?" Harry demanded.   
"I need to talk to her privately for a moment. You boys talk to the secretary to arrange your detentions." Mrs. Stone watched them leave her office then turned to Buttercup.   
"Am I in more trouble than them?" Buttercup asked.   
Mrs. Stone sighed. "This is a difficult situation, Buttercup. I should punish you because you did make the first threats, right?" Buttercup nodded. "But I don't think school is the best place for you right now."   
"Are you _suspending_ me?" Buttercup demanded.   
"Not officially," Mrs. Stone said. "But if you and Andra remain in school, it may only trigger more violence."   
"So Andra and I have to hide because of some idiots. Wonderful," Buttercup said. "Andra was right, it is happening again. People like Mitch and Sam are the reason Andra moved her in the first place, did you know that? And now she has to go into hiding again!"   
"I understand this is difficult, Buttercup, but once you've calmed down I'm sure you'll see this really is for the best."   
"Yeah, right."   
"I'll call the Professor now and ask him to come pick you up."   
"Don't bother," Buttercup snapped. "I'm flying. And I'll take Andra home, too."   
"You can't do that, Buttercup. A parent or guardian must pick each of you up."   
"And what will you do if I break that rule? Suspend me?" Buttercup demanded. She didn't wait for an answer, she simply left Mrs. Stone's office and floated back to the infirmary.   
"How is she?" Buttercup asked the nurse.   
"I'm okay," Andra answered in a small voice. "But I have a monster headache. The nurse was about to call my mom."   
"She doesn't have to. I'm taking you home."   
"Why?"   
"I'll explain later. Can you get off the bed?"   
"Yeah, I'm not an invalid," Andra said. She hopped off the bed, but stumbled when she landed. Buttercup was there in an instant to steady her. "I don't know if I could handle flying though."   
"You can't take her, Buttercup. Her mother -"   
Buttercup interrupted the nurse. "I've already had the lecture, but I'm ignoring it. C'mon, Andra," Buttercup took Andra's hand and led her out of the office.   
"Buttercup, please tell me what's going on," Andra pleaded.   
"Hold on, I want to get us out of here without facing Mitch and company."   
"Was he the one saying stuff?"   
"According to his friends, no. He didn't need to say anything, they apparently already knew."   
"You don't believe them?"   
"How could Mitch resist telling them the details of Friday night? He must have contributed something. You ready?" Buttercup asked when they were outside the building.   
"What about our stuff?"   
"I'll ask Bubbles or Blossom to get them for us."   
"Then I guess I'm ready." Andra placed her arms around Buttercup's neck. "Just don't go fast, okay?"   
"No problem," Buttercup said as she carefully lifted off the ground.   
"Hey, you're talking to Blossom again?" Andra asked after a few moments of quiet flying.   
"Yeah. Kinda. She's still a little weird, but we're getting better."   
"Is it because of what the Professor told you Saturday?"   
"I guess so."   
"What was it? You said you'd tell me."   
Buttercup landed on Andra's porch. "Is Cassie home?"   
Andra sighed. "No, she's at work. You're just trying to find excuses so you don't have to tell me what happened."   
"Maybe, maybe not," Buttercup said coyly. "Okay, where's the key to get inside?"   
"It's around back. I can get it myself. Mrs. Stones probably already called the Professor. He'll be worried."   
"I'll call him from inside. The nurse said you might have a concussion, you're not supposed to leave people with concussions alone."   
"She was exaggerating," Andra reassured Buttercup. "She told me just before you came and got me that it's only a bump. It'll hurt for awhile, but I'll be fine."   
"Isn't there any way I can stay here with you? I'm not anxious to be yelled at by the Professor."   
Andra smiled. "you're worried about me! That's sweet!"   
Buttercup frowned. "No I'm not."   
Andra laughed lightly, careful not to move her head much. "Well, if you promise to explain why we had to leave, and what's going on with you and Blossom, I'll let you come inside. Just don't tell Mom, you know I'm not supposed to have people over when she's not home."   
"But I'm not people," Buttercup said as she followed Andra around the house. "I'm me. Your knight in," Buttercup looked down at her clothes, now stained by grass and dirt and torn a lot more than they had been that morning. "In ill fitting clothes."   
Andra laughed again. "You're silly, Buttercup." Buttercup blushed and silently followed Andra into the house.   
"You want some lunch?" Andra asked when they were in her kitchen.   
"Are you okay enough to make it? Or even eat it?"   
"Sure," Andra answered, then she winced. "Okay, I can't eat much. Soup okay?"   
"Can you make it?"   
Andra sighed. "It involves pouring water and condensed soup into a pot and boiling it. Not exactly rocket science. Call the Professor."   
"Yes, ma'am." Buttercup saluted Andra then marched to the phone and called the Professor.   
"Hello? Buttercup?" the Professor answered on the first ring.   
"Yeah, Professor, it's me."   
"Oh thank goodness. Mrs. Stone said you flew off with Andra. I was getting worried."   
"We're both okay. I'm staying with Andra for awhile. She's not feeling so good."   
"Would you like me to come over and help?"   
"No, we'll be fine. But could you call the school and ask Bubbles or Blossom to get my and Andra's stuff? It's in our locker, combination 10-43-17."   
"I'll be sure to do that. Stay with Andra as long as she needs you."   
"I will, don't worry. Bye, Professor."   
"Take care, Buttercup."   
Buttercup hung up the phone then turned to Andra, who was standing in front of the stove. "The Professor says i can stay as long as you need me. Bubbles or Blossom will bring our stuff after school."   
"Good," Andra said. "Sit at the table, I'm going to need you for as long as it takes you to tell me just what is going on."   
"Cassie might get home before I finish telling you."   
"Is it that complicated?"   
"Part of it is. The part about me and Blossom."   
Andra ladled out soup into two bowls, then brought them to the table. She set one in front of Buttercup, then sat in the seat next to her.   
Buttercup took a sip of her soup. "Ow. How," she muttered. "What happened at school is the easy part: we're unofficially suspended."   
"What?! We didn't _do_ anything!"   
"That's why it's unofficial. Mrs. stone thinks it's best if we 'lay low' for awhile."   
"That's not fair!" Andra cried, apparently ignoring her sore head and stomach. "Those stupid boys who nearly gave me a freakin' concussion by banging me against a tree get to stay in school and we don't?"   
"They get two weeks of detention. We're suspended indefinitely, probably with Blossom and Bubbles bringing our homework."   
Andra slammed a hand down on the table, nearly upsetting the soup bowls. "This isn't right. _We _are the victims of the stupid homophobic jerks here. We don't deserve to be punished. They didn't some weird stuff at my last school, but they never suspended anyone because they got beat up! This _can't_ be legal."   
Buttercup thought about that for a moment as she sipped more of her soup. "You're right, I don't think it's legal. It's _definitely_ not right. I'm friends with the Mayor's assistant, Miss Bellum. I bet she would help us."   
"And Mom has a lawyer friend back in California she still e-mails," Andra said. "She could help too."   
"We'll get them back yet," Buttercup said with a grin.   
Andra took a couple sips of soup then leaned toward Buttercup. "Okay, what's up with you and your sisters?"   
Buttercup sighed and stared down at her soup. "We're not sisters."   
"What?"   
"The Professor told us that, genetically, we're not sisters. He said our DNA isn't identical, it's not even close enough to be from the same family. It's like we're from the same ethnic group. The Chemical X ethnic group."   
"Weird," Andra said. She took a sip of soup. "How did Blossom and Bubbles take it?"   
"Bubbles was kinda upset for awhile, but you know how quickly she adapts. Blossom. . . I don't know. I can't figure her out. She's more or less ignoring me now, but there isn't as much tension as before."   
"Well that's good," Andra said.   
"Yeah. I guess. It's just weird. It feels like I'm living with strangers now. I know Blossom and Bubbles are the same people they were the Professor told us we weren't related. I guess I'm just waiting for another secret to come out of the closet and surprise me." 

***  Andra and Buttercup spent the afternoon in Andra's living room watching TV, and activity that was surprisingly tense, as neither girl was sure how comfortable the other was with being as close as other couples were when they were together. They started out at opposite ends of the couch, but gradually moved closer until they were right next to eachother. Then the doorbell rang.   
Startled, Buttercup jumped up. "I'll get it! It's probably Blossom and Bubbles anyway." She zipped to the door and opened it. Blossom and Bubbles pushed their way in.   
"You two look awful!" Blossom exclaimed. "What in the world happened to you?"   
"Mitch Mitchelson and his goons," Andra muttered.   
"Why?"   
"Because they're idiots," Buttercup said. "And so's Mrs. Stone. Me and Andra get suspended, but Mitch the others don't! When obviously Andra and I came out worse in the fight."   
"Why were you fighting?" Bubbles asked. "Was it 'cause of the rumors?"   
Andra's face paled. "What. . . what rumors?"   
"That you guys are gay," Bubbles stated simply. Andra and Buttercup glanced at each other, but didn't answer. "Well?" Bubbles prompted.   
"Bubbles, you really aren't supposed to ask questions like that," Blossom said quietly.   
"Oh," Bubbles said, her eyes downcast.   
Andra looked at Buttercup. "Can I tell them?"   
Buttercup shrugged. "Might as well. The entire school is suspicious anyway."   
"The rumors are true, Bubbles," Andra said. "I'm gay. Buttercup is, too. We went out on a date Friday and Mitch saw us."   
"How dare that little cretin do such a thing as spread rumors and fight you two just because you're going out?!" Blossom demanded. "I'll show him tomorrow at school that when you mess with one Powerpuff Girl, you mess with them all!"   
"Um, Blossom, that's great and all, but really, you'll just get suspended, too. 'Cept yours will be official," Buttercup said. "We're _unofficially_ suspended. If you beat the crap out of Mitch you'd get an official suspension, and how would _that_ look on your permanent record?"   
"What about after school?" Blossom asked.   
"I can't believe you," Andra said. "I'd expect this sort of talk from Buttercup-"   
"Hey!"   
"-but not from you, Blossom! You will _not_ fight for me and Buttercup. I'll crawl out of this house if I have to to stop you."   
"Are you feeling that bad?" Bubbles asked. "You look kinda pale."   
Andra shrugged. "I'll be fine. I just have a bump on my head and dozens of bruises on my stomach. I'll live.   
Bubbles set down the pale yellow backpack she'd been carrying along with her denim one. "We brought your stuff. And we'll bring your homework to ya', too."   
"Yippee," Buttercup muttered.   
"Here's your bag, Buttercup," Blossom said quietly, having suddenly lost her enthusiasm. She handed the green bag she'd carried to Buttercup. "We'd better get home. You coming?"   
"She'll be out in a minute," Andra said quickly. "I want to talk to her for a moment."   
Bubbles gave Buttercup and Andra a suspicious look, but quickly shrugged it off. "Okay. Bye, Andra. Feel better soon!" She bounded out the door before Andra could respond. Blossom followed, but at a much more subdued pace, with several glances over her shoulder at the girls.   
"You need to watch out for Blossom," Andra said as soon as Blossom was gone.   
"What? Why? She's being nice! She's paying attention to me again."   
"Yeah, she's paying attention all right. Sending secret glances your way, getting quiet and blushing when she accidentally touches you. Sound familiar?"   
Buttercup made a face. "Are you saying Blossom _likes_ me? She can't! She's my sis-" Andra was slowly shaking her head. "Oh, yeah, she's not. But we've only known that for two days. Crushes don't develop that quickly."   
"Maybe that's why the Professor told you about how you're not related, because Blossom told him she liked you and was totally freaked out. If you were sisters it would be against the law, you know."   
Buttercup shook her head. "No way. Blossom's too analytical to get a crush on someone who she's thought of as a sister for the last 7 years." Buttercup paused for a moment. "Now _you're_ the one who's worried. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous!"   
Andra blushed. "Well. . . okay, maybe I am a little. But pretend you're me for a second: the most amazing girl you know is your. . . your girlfriend, but there's someone else _in the same bedroom_ with her who may have a crush on said girlfriend. You'd be kinda jealous, too."   
Buttercup shook her head. "You're paranoid. Will you be okay here till Cassie gets home?"   
Andra sighed. Buttercup certainly had a knack for changing the subject when she didn't like where a conversation was going. "I'll be fine, Buttercup. You'd better go, before your sisters come back to drag you out."   
"Okay. Um," Buttercup bent down and quickly kissed Andra's slightly bruised cheek. "Bye!" She grabbed her bag and flew out the door before Andra could reply.   
  



	19. Planning

PpG3 

Secrets and Surprises

Chapter 19 - Planning

After dinner that night Buttercup wanted nothing more than to go to the living room and watch TV, but the Professor asked her to stay at the table with him while Bubbles and Blossom left to do their homework.   
"Mrs. Stone vaguely told me what happened today, but I have a feeling there's more to it than she told me," the Professor said when the other Girls had left.   
"What'd she tell you?" Buttercup asked.   
"You started a fight."   
"What?! That's completely untrue!" Buttercup exclaimed. "Okay, maybe I provoked Mitch and Harry a little by accusing them of spreading rumors, but they were the ones who attacked _me_. Then when Andra came over and tried to get them to stop, two of them attacked her. She nearly got a _concussion_. That's why I spent the afternoon at her place. I didn't want her to pass out or something."   
"That was very kind of you," the Professor said. "But why did Mitch and the other boys attack you?"   
Buttercup sighed. "Andra went to the office before school today because a group of kids were waiting for her at our locker and started teasin' her because someone had started a rumor that she was gay. I thought it might have been Mitch because he saw us Friday night, so I confronted him on the playground when he was with his friends. They said Mitch didn't need to say anything, everybody already knew that she and I were gay."   
"And Mrs. Stone suspended you for that?"   
"It's an unofficial suspension," Buttercup corrected. "She thinks it would be better if Andra and I stay out of school until everything calms down."   
"She has no right to punish either of you in such a matter. Were the boys punished?"   
"Two weeks detention."   
"This is outrageous! I'm going to call Mrs. Stone right now -"   
"No, Professor, don't," Buttercup said quickly. "Andra and I already talked about this. I'm gonna talk to Miss Bellum and Andra's gonna have Cassie talk to a lawyer friend back in California."   
"Sounds like you girls were busy planning this afternoon."   
"Yep."   
"But I'll have to file a complaint with Mrs. Stone most likely, to prove we tried to fight it on our own before calling in legal help." The Professor sighed and sat down next to Buttercup. "Or maybe I won't, I was never very good at remembering laws. I guess I'm just upset that Mrs. Stone would dare give out punishments like this. I don't want anyone to discriminate against any of my Girls for any reason. It's those boys who should be kicked out of school, not you. What if they decide they want to get another kid in trouble? All they have to do is beat them up and that kids is gone indefinitely, while all they do is stay after school for a few weeks. It's not right and I want to do everything I can to fix it."   
"That's why we're going to Miss Bellum," Buttercup said. "That way we can find out exactly what we should and shouldn't do."   
The Professor nodded. "Yes, that does make sense. Why don't you go see her during the day tomorrow. And bring Andra, too. I think she'd like Miss Bellum."   
"Professor, _everybody_ likes Miss Bellum."   
The Professor chuckled. "You're right. Why don't you run along now. I'm going to call Cassie and see how she and Andra are doing. Maybe Cassie has already talked to that lawyer friend of hers. And I'll see if Andra can go with you to Miss Bellum's, all right?"   
"'Kay." Buttercup slid off her chair and flew to the living room to watch TV. 

***

The next morning, Buttercup slept in late and for once she didn't have one of her sisters bothering her to wake up. Because of this, she didn't wake up until shortly after 10, when the Professor gently shook her to wake her up.   
"Andra's on the phone for you," he told her gently.   
"Okay," Buttercup mumbled. She floated out of bed, out of her room, and down the stairs, her eyes still half closed, her hair sticking out at odd angles and her nightgown rumpled. She almost floated right past the living room phone she was still so tired. "Hello?" she muttered when she finally picked up the phone.   
"It's me!" Andra said brightly. "You sleep too much, Buttercup."   
"I've only gotten. . ." Buttercup squinted at her watch, "five hours of sleep."   
"What were you doing all night?"   
"Taking advantage of my day off by watching the late night talk shows, playing video games. You know, the usual."   
"You're crazy, Buttercup. Anyway, are we going to see Miss Bellum today or not?"   
"Um, sure. When do you want to go?"   
"I'm free all day. Mom said as long as I leave a note I can go wherever I want. She even left me money so I can go out to eat."   
Buttercup grinned. "I doubt this is what Mrs. Stone expected our suspension to be like. I'll be over there around 11 and I'll get money from the Professor, too."   
"Cool. See you soon."   
"See ya'," Buttercup said and hung up the phone.   
"What do you need money for?"   
Buttercup spun around with a gasp. "Don't _do_ that!" she scolded. "Andra and I wanna go to lunch after seeing Miss Bellum. Cassie left her money to spend today. Can I have some too?"   
The Professor thought for a moment. "I suppose so. Go get dressed. I'll be down in the lab, so I'll leave the money on the table for you."   
Buttercup didn't stay to thank the Professor. She zipped to her room, calling a hasty thanks over her shoulder. 

***

Just before 11, Buttercup rang the doorbell at Andra's house. Almost immediately, Andra opened the door as if she'd been waiting for Buttercup.   
"Hi!" Andra said brightly. "I've got my purse, so I'm ready to go. We flying?"   
"Hold on a second, I'm too tired to handle all your energy. I woke up less than an hour ago," Buttercup said. "What's with you? Did you have a couple pots of coffee this morning?"   
Andra laughed. "No, I'm just excited that we're going to do something about our suspension. I never got to do anything like this to those jerks back in California!"   
"I know, it's cool," Buttercup said with a grin. "Yeah, we're flying. You okay with that?"   
"I'm getting used to it surprisingly easy." She put her arms around Buttercup's neck. "Up, up, and away!" Buttercup shook her head in amusement, but did as Andra said. 

***

Miss Bellum was obviously surprised to see Buttercup and Andra walk into her office that morning, though she tried vainly to hide it. "Buttercup, what are you doing here? You aren't skipping, are you?"   
"No, no," Buttercup assured Miss Bellum. "We're here to talk to you about why we're not in school. Oh, Miss Bellum? This is Andra Meda. She moved here this summer from California." Buttercup had already told Miss Bellum all about this, of course, but she didn't want Andra thinking that perhaps she'd been telling Miss Bellum everything about both of them.   
Miss Bellum seemed to understand that. "Hello, Andra," she said warmly, "It's nice to meet you. Take a seat, both of you, and explain to me why exactly you aren't in school right now."   
"We've been unofficially suspended," Andra said bluntly as she sat down. "Because. . . because. . ." she glanced at Buttercup for support.   
"It's okay, she knows," Buttercup whispered.   
"Because some idiot guys found out we like each other and went out Friday night," Andra finished strongly. "They beat us up for it."   
"So what's where all the bruises and scratches I'm seeing are from," Miss Bellum said. "And you were 'unofficially' suspended? Why?"   
"So there won't be anymore trouble between us and them," Buttercup said. "Mrs. Stone wants things to calm down before she calls us back to school."   
"That's ridiculous," Miss Bellum said. "What kind of punishment did the boys get?"   
"Two weeks detention," Buttercup growled.   
"So what do you girls want me to do? Since I assume that's why you're here."   
"We have a feeling that our suspension isn't exactly legal," Buttercup said. "Is it?"   
"Did you two do anything to the boys?"   
"I kinda threatened one of them," Buttercup admitted. "But Andra just told them to leave me alone and two of them slammed her up against a tree and started punching her!"   
"I have the bruises on my stomach to prove it," Andra said quietly.   
"Then I'd have to say that no, this isn't quite legal." Miss Bellum folded her hands neatly on her desk. "Does Mrs. Stone know why the boys beat you up?"   
"Yeah," Buttercup said. "Mitch told her that we were gross dykes, and told her he saw us kissing. Mrs. Stone said as long as we didn't do anything illegal off school property it wasn't any of her business, but I doubt we would have been suspended if the guys beat us up for. . . for. . . " she looked to Andra for help.   
"For dumping one of them," Andra supplied. "I bet Mrs. Stone is just a stupid homophobe herself, she's just refined enough not to beat people up."   
"Here's what I'll do, girls," Miss Bellum said. "I'll call Mrs. Stone, as a friend of yours, not as the Mayor's assistant. It will be less threatening that way. I'll tell her you came to me, as you often do, Buttercup, for a talk that only a group of women can have, and I was disturbed to hear of the way this incident has been handled. And if she refuses to change her mind, or at least provide valid reasoning, then we'll take it further, all right?" Andra and Buttercup nodded. "Good," Miss Bellum said as she flipped through the phone book, scanning for the school's phone number. She found it and quickly dialed the number. The secretary answered on the second ring.   
"Hello, Mrs. Stone's office, how may I help you?"   
"I'd like to speak with Mrs. Stone, please," Miss Bellum said.   
"Hold on a moment and I will see if she's available. May I ask who's calling and what this is about?"   
"I'm Sara Bellum, I'm calling about Buttercup Utonium's and Andra Meda's unofficial suspension."   
"Hold on a moment please, Miss Bellum," the secretary said. There was a click as Miss Bellum was put on hold, but just a few seconds later the secretary was back. "I'm transferring you to Mrs. Stone right now, Miss Bellum."   
Miss Bellum started to thank the secretary, but was interrupted by Mrs. Stone answering the call. "What can I do for you, Miss Bellum?"   
"Buttercup and Andra came to me with a disturbing story this morning, Mrs. Stone. I was hoping you could help me understand it."   
"I'd be happy to. What's wrong?"   
"I want to know why these girls are being kept from school when it's clearly not their fault for yesterday's playground fight."   
"I really shouldn't discuss this with you, Miss Bellum. This is between me, the girls, and their respective parent or guardian. You could ask one of them to call -"   
"Mrs. Stone, I understand that, but some of the things these two wanted to discuss weren't the kind of things Buttercup could discuss with Professor Utonium, and Andra's mother is at work now," Miss Bellum glanced at Andra for confirmation. Andra nodded. "Yes, she's at work and the girls needed to talk now. Surely you can understand that?"   
"I suppose," Mrs. Stone said reluctantly. "The girls were suspended - unofficially, maybe I remind you - to avoid further violence between them and the boys."   
"Do you make a habit of punishing the victims at your school, Mrs. Stone?"   
"No, of course not!"   
"Then I strongly suggest that you rescind this punishment. You are aware of the anti discrimination policies in the Townsville school districts, are you not?"   
"What do our anti discrimination policies have to do with this?"   
"It is clearly stated that you are not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and if Andra and Buttercup wished to, I'm sure their argument would hold up in court: they are being kept out of school because they are suspected of being homosexuals."   
"That is not the issue here, Miss Bellum. I was only concerned with the girls safety when I advised them to stay home."   
"Why did you ask them to stay home? Why didn't you suspend the boys responsible for the fight?"   
"We have found in the past that it is impossible to find all of the people who are biased enough to resort to violence. Suspend the leaders for a week and there's always someone left who's resentful enough to start up the fight where the others left off."   
"But don't you think you're sending the message that if you bully someone enough you can get rid of them?"   
"The system has always worked for us in the past," Mrs. Stone said coldly.   
"Mrs. Stone, what would you do if the girls returned to school before you called them back?"   
"I would send them back home. I'd call their guardians if necessary, ordering the girls to stay home."   
"And how long would you do this?"   
There was a pause before Mrs. stone answered. "I'm sorry, Miss Bellum, but we'll have to continue this discussion another time. It seems a food fight has broken out in the cafeteria."   
"I understand," Miss Bellum said, then hung up her phone. "And be sure to suspend the kid who's cowering under a table, trying to avoid trouble."   
"Miss Bellum?" Buttercup asked.   
"Oh, I'm sorry, girls! I almost forgot you were there."   
"What did Mrs. Stone say?" Andra asked.   
Miss Bellum sighed. "She firmly believes she's in the right on this. The discrimination policies in the school district have changed, but she certainly hasn't."   
Buttercup and Andra shared a confused look. "What do you mean?" Buttercup asked.   
"I had Mrs. Stone as my assistant principal when I was in junior high and she had the same inane policy then. Only there wasn't much I could do at the time because legally, she was allowed to do whatever she wanted."   
"But what about now?" Andra demanded. "I'm not very fond of school, but I'm not going to let those stupid boys keep me from my regular life!"   
Miss Bellum smiled. "I like to hear that. Mrs. Stone says that if either of you try to go to school before she says you can, she will send you back home. If she has to, she'll call the Professor and your Mom, Andra, and ask them to keep you two home. But if you go to school with a note from a lawyer saying to let you in or else, it might just scare her into following the law."   
"But we don't _know_ any lawyers," Buttercup moaned. "Not anyone local, anyway."   
"You're looking at one of Townsville's best, Buttercup."   
"Huh?"  
"I am legally licensed to be a lawyer. But shortly after I passed my bar exam, the Mayor asked me to help him as his secretary. He's been a family friend for years, so I agreed and I've suck with him ever since."   
"Talk about loyalty," Andra said. "I don't know the Mayor but he seems kinda. . . "   
"Crazy?" Buttercup supplied.   
Andra blushed. "Well, yeah, but I was trying to think of something more polite."   
Miss Bellum chuckled. "It's all right, Andra, I understand. He can drive me a bit crazy, sometimes, too, but he's a good mayor overall, so I'm happy to help him. Anyway, girls, it's going to take me awhile to draft up those letters for you. Why don't you two go home and have lunch, then come back? I should have the letters done in an hour."   
"What about your other work?" Andra asked as she slid out of her chair.   
"There's nothing terribly important here. Besides, this is a chance to make Townsville a better place. And to settle and old score with Mrs. Stone," she added with a wink.   
"Okay, see ya' later, Miss Bellum!" Buttercup said as she left Miss Bellum's office.   
"Bye, Miss Bellum," Andra said. "It was nice to meet you."   
"You too, Andra," Miss Bellum said. "I'll see you later."   
"Yep, bye!" Andra ran off after Buttercup.   
Miss Bellum sighed to herself. "I wish I was as lucky as they are," she murmured. Then she shook her head to clear it and opened a new file on her word processor. _Time to get to work._

***

Andra and Buttercup chose a casual, but nice, restaurant for lunch. It wasn't the sort of place they'd normally choose to eat, but it was the only place that wasn't packed. Plus the food was good and waiting for the server gave them time to talk.   
"Do you have any idea what Miss Bellum meant about her problems with Mrs. Stone?" andra asked as she spread cheese on a slice of garlic toast.   
Buttercup shrugged, then swallowed the garlic toast she'd been chewing. "Maybe she was a hippie and fought Mrs. Stone for equal right for women and blacks."   
"She's too young to have been a hippie," Andra said.   
"That was my one brilliant idea, sorry," Buttercup said. "Or, y'know, maybe Miss Bellum's gay, too, and had this exact problem."   
The girls stared at each other for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles.


	20. Surprises

PpG3 

Secrets and Surprises 

Chapter 20 - Surprises 

To everyone's surprise the next morning, Buttercup woke up right when the Girls' alarm clock went off.   
"Buttercup, you have the day off, don't you?" Bubbles asked as she brushed her hair and Buttercup dashed around trying to find clothes.   
"Andra and I have letters from Miss Bellum that basically say let us go to school or else."   
"You _want_ to go to school?" Blossom asked. She was sitting at her mirror doing her hair, but was carefully avoiding looking in the glass since Buttercup was getting dressed in plain view of the mirror.   
"Not really, but I don't want Mitch and his buddies to think they can get the better of me and Andra."   
"Can we help?" Blossom asked. Buttercup was dressed now, so Blossom had turned around in her chair to look at Buttercup.   
"How?"   
"I was serious when I said Monday that if someone messes with one Powerpuff Girl, he messes with all of us. We could be. . ."   
"We could be your bodyguards!" Bubbles squealed.   
"Uh, no, thanks, I think we can handle it," Buttercup said.   
"C'mon, Buttercup," Blossom pleaded. "Bodyguard is the wrong word. How about added insurance?"   
Buttercup was a little uncomfortable with Blossom's sudden 'all for one and one for all' attitude, especially after what Andra had said on Monday afternoon. But Mitch wasn't likely to try anything with Bubbles and Blossom there, either. And if it was obvious the two most popular girls in school were on speaking terms with the 'dykes,' it might convince everyone else that there was nothing wrong with Andra and Buttercup. Buttercup didn't really care what the other students thought of her, but Andra seemed to.   
"All right, you two can help us out," Buttercup said.   
"Yea!" blossom and Bubbles cheered.   
Blossom linked arms with Buttercup. "No one's getting through us."   
_Damn Andra for making me suspicious of my. . . my sister._

***

For the first time in weeks, the Powerpuff Girls flew to school together, though their formation had changed. Before, Blossom always took the lead, unconciously slipping into her leader role. Now Buttercup was in the lead, with Blossom slightly behind and to the right; Bubbles in the same position on the left. The three had left early, even earlier than Buttercup had been leaving to meet Andra, so they'd have time to pick her up. Buttercup had made Blossom to promise to at least be civil to Andra. Surprisingly, Blossom had agreed without argument. _Something is definitely going on with her,_ Buttercup thought.   
"We've got insurance today," Buttercup told Andra when she, Blossom, and Bubbles met Andra at her house.   
Andra gave Blossom a skeptical look.   
"I'm being good today, I promise," Blossom said. Andra didn't look convinced. "I've had a change of heart. I promise, Andra.   
Andra sighed, but went over to Buttercup and put her arms around the Girl's neck. "Let's get this over with, if we get kicked out, I want to get kicked out early enough to get home to watch the last of the cartoons." 

***

Mitch and his gang were gathered by the flagpole when Buttercup, Andra, Blossom and Bubbles arrived.   
"What are you doing here?" Buttercup demanded as she landed. Andra leapt out of her arms and Blossom and Bubbles hovered over their shoulders.   
"We aren't the ones who got suspended for lewd misconduct," Mitch said.   
"And where on Earth did you learn words like that?" Andra demanded.   
"My dad," Harry said proudly. "I told him about you two and he said all queers and dykes should be locked up for lewd misconduct."   
"It's weasels like you who should be locked away," Buttercup said as she pushed up her sleeves and took a few threatening steps towards the boys.   
"No, Buttercup," Andra said quietly. "Not now. Not at school."   
"Yeah, listen to yer girlfriend," Mitch jeered.   
"Blossom landed, her face inches from Mitch's. "That's right, she will. But I don't have a girlfriend to hold me back -"   
"That's 'cause _you're_ normal," Mitch interjected.   
Blossom smiled wryly. "I am, huh? Either way, since I don't have a girlfriend to hold me back, maybe I'll be the one to kick your ass."   
Bubbles gasped. She'd never heard Blossom say a word like that.   
Mrs. Stone gasped too. She'd stepped out of the school's front doors just in time to hear Blossom's expletive. "Blossom Utonium!"   
"Oops," Blossom muttered. "Um, good morning, Mrs. Stone."   
"Good morning to you, too," Mrs. Stone said stiffly. "She looked over Blossom at Buttercup and Andra. "What are you girls doing back so soon?"   
"We're here to get one of those high quality public school educations we hear so much about," Andra said primly.   
"Well, as you've obviously witnessed by your greeting here this morning, now probably isn't the most appropriate time for you to return."   
"it is according to our lawyer," Buttercup said. She and Andra pulled out their letters from Miss Bellum, with the official 'Office of the Mayor' seal, from their backpacks and handed them to Mrs. Stone. "And this is only the beginning. You _can't_ keep us out for no reason, Mrs. Stone."   
"There is a reason," Mrs. Stone said; her lips were pressed into a thin line.   
"Okay, how about a legitimate reason?" Blossom asked. "I know Buttercup, Mrs. Stone. She's done some crazy things, but none of those boys were hurt, not any way worth mentioning at least. If Buttercup had started the fight, they wouldn't be standing here at the moment."   
"Which might be a good thing," Bubbles said, adopting the same tough demeanor the other girls had.   
The first warning bell sounded inside the school, but no one involved in the face off between Mrs. Stone and Andra and Buttercup moved.   
Mrs. Stone glanced down at the envelopes in her hands. "Go in," she said harshly. "All of you," she added with a glance at the boys. She looked back to Buttercup and Andra. "You may stay here for the day, but don't be surprised if you get called to my office for a conference with your guardians. No get to class!"   
Buttercup and Andra joined hands as they dashed into the school, followed closely by Blossom and Bubbles, all of them wearing huge grins.   
"That's one battle won!" Buttercup exclaimed as they took their seats in first hour.   
"But how many more will we have to fight?" Andra asked soberly.   
"Don't think about that now," Buttercup scolded. "If we get called down to Mrs. Stones office, _ then_ we'll worry about future battles. Until then, I think I'm going to enjoy school for a change. 

***

mrs. stone didn't call Buttercup and Andra down to her office that day. Mitch, Harry, Sam and the other boys avoided the two girls, possibly because a very tough looking pair of Powerpuff Girls accompanied them everywhere.   
After school, Andra and Buttercup said goodbye to their unofficial body guards, wanting to tell Miss Bellum about their success. But when Buttercup and Andra reached the Mayor's office, Miss Bellum wasn't at her desk. Instead, they found the Mayor hidden behind stacks of papers taller than himself.   
"Hello, girls!" the Mayor greeted cheerfully when he saw them. "Can you believe all the paperwork that's accumulated today?"   
"Where's Miss Bellum?" Buttercup asked.   
"She called in sick this morning, she has a slight case of the flu."   
"Do you think she'd mind a visit?" Andra asked.   
"Probably not. She always does like to talk to you, Buttercup. Ah, who's your friend?"   
"Andra Meda," Andra introduced herself. "Miss Bellum has been helping Buttercup and me with some problems at school."   
"That's too bad," the Mayor said absently as he focused on one of the papers in front of him. "If you girls go see her, tell her to come back soon! I'm going to drown in papers!"   
"Sure thing, Mayor," Buttercup said. She grabbed Andra's hand and together they ran out of the building. Buttercup didn't even stop when they were outside to allow Andra to get comfortable. She simply lifted off and swung Andra up into her arms. Through her terror, Andra managed a slight giggle. "What with all this sudden hand hold and PDAs?" she asked when they were in the air.   
"PDAs?" Buttercup asked. "We haven't done that!"   
"Okay, but what about the hand holding? Swinging me into the air? It's like a bad romance novel!"   
"Hm, how much money do you think I'd make if I sold our story to Harlequin?"   
Andra laughed. "Not much. So what's your reason?"   
Buttercup attempted a shrug, but that was kind of hard with Andra clinging to her. "I guess I figure that since both our families and the entire school know about us, there's nothing to hide, so why shouldn't I hold your hand, or sweep you off your feet?"   
"Or do this?" Andra tilted her head up and gently kissed Buttercup.   
Buttercup lost her concentration the moment Andra's lips brushed her own and began to drop out of the sky. She quickly regained her composure and steadied their flight, but both girls were rattled. "Um, yeah, or that," Buttercup stammered. "Hey, there's Miss Bellum's!" She swooped down and gently set Andra on the porch before she rang the bell.   
From inside the girls could hear soft footsteps and a voice call, "I'll get it, Sara, you stay there!" the door opened a moment later.   
"Ms. Keane?" Buttercup asked in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"   
"Sandra? Who's there?" Miss Bellum came up from behind Ms. Keane and put her arms around the other woman's waist, but jumped back when she saw Buttercup and Andra. "Girls! What are you doing here?"   
"That seems to be the question of the day," Andra said dryly. "We went to see you at your office, but the Mayor said you were sick. So we came here and found. . ."   
"Ms. Keane," Buttercup filled in. "Who I thought had an apartment by the Kindergarten."   
"Why don't all of you come inside," Miss Bellum suggested. "I'll faint if I stand much longer."   
"Follow Miss Bellum to the living room, girls," Ms. Keane said. "I was just going to make her some cocoa. Would you like some?"   
"Yes, please," Andra said.   
"Yeah, sure," Buttercup agreed. Miss Bellum led the girls to the living room. She laid down on the couch where, judging from the blankets and bowls half filled with cold soup, Miss Bellum had spent the day. Andra and Buttercup sat next to eachother in a recliner, leaving the chair next to the couch for Ms. Keane.   
"So what happened at school?" Miss Bellum asked.   
Buttercup grinned. "Mrs. Stone met us before we actually got into the school. We told her she couldn't keep us out, and even Blossom stood up to her!"   
"So are you two over your argument?"   
Buttercup shrugged. "Yeah. I guess we are. She acted kinda weird after we found out we aren't really sisters, but then when she heard me and Andra got suspended she went all Three Musketeers on me. All for one and one for all, y'know?"   
"I'd rather have her be a bit corny with you two getting along, than the two of you fighting constantly."   
Buttercup shrugged again. "I guess."   
Ms. Keane entered the living room then, carrying a tray with four steaming mugs of cocoa. "Hope I didn't presume too much by putting marshmallows in everybody's mug. That's the only way Sara - Miss Bellum, will drink it, and I know you used to love it, Buttercup."   
"Still do," Buttercup said as she took her mug.   
Ms. Keane turned to Andra. "I'm afraid I've been rude and haven't taken the chance to properly introduce myself. I'm Ms. Keane, I was Buttercup's Kindergarten teacher all those years ago."   
"That's all right. I'm Andra Meda. Buttercup's. . . uh, girlfriend." Andra blushed slightly, then took the mug of cocoa Ms. Keane offered. "And I love marshmallows too, thanks."   
"You're very welcome," Ms. Keane said. She set a mug by Miss Bellum then sat in the chair next to her. "So you girls were a little surprised when you showed up here this afternoon?"   
"You could say that," Buttercup said. "I mean, I've heard rumors, but the idiots at school spread rumors about any single adult. And what about your apartment?"   
Ms. Keane flushed slightly and looked down into her cocoa. Miss Bellum answered for her. "We're in a precarious position, Buttercup. When people found out about you two, the worst that happened was some boys beat you up and Mrs. Stone tried to suspend you. There are people, both in the school district and at the Mayor's office, who would do everything they could to fire us if they found out we lived together."   
"But what about the anti discrimination laws you told Mrs. Stone about?" Andra asked.   
"Mrs. Stone didn't suspend you because you were gay, not officially, anyway," Miss Bellum said. "She said something about it being safer, for everyone involved, right? We'll, we'd be fired for something trivial, like too many sick days, or too many parking violations."   
"I've even heard of teachers being fired because a student they had turned out to be gay and the parents and the school board felt the teacher provided a bad moral example, or perhaps even 'recruited' the student," ms. Keane said quietly.   
"We could fight it, and we'd probably win, but the odds of getting our jobs back would be slim, at best," Miss Bellum said. "How did the other students act around you two today?"   
Andra thought for a moment. "You know, they weren't very talkative," she said to Buttercup. "It wasn't as bad as Monday, but it wasn't like before."   
"I guess I didn't notice," Buttercup said. "Blossom and Bubbles were always with us and talking, so I didn't really miss talking to anyone else."   
"So that's why I keep the extra apartment, and I park my car to the other side of the house, where it's not visible from the street," Ms. Keane said. "I doubt I'm fooling any of the neighbors, but people from work will only be able to be suspicious, they can't get me fired based on suspicions."   
"That's so sad," Andra said. "Mom moved us here because Townsville was supposed to be better than California. I guess the bigotry is just hidden."   
"Don't worry about us, girls," Miss Bellum said. "This situation isn't ideal for us, but that's why I was so eager to help you two. Every time someone stands up to someone like Mrs. Stone, the world becomes a slightly better place for us. And hopefully by the time you two are older, you won't have to keep a spare apartment, or even a spare bedroom."   
"Hey!" Buttercup said suddenly. "Miss Bellum, you said yesterday that you had the same problem we did in middle school. You were suspended because you were gay?"   
"Sort of," Miss Bellum said. "Mrs. Stone was only the assistant principal then, she couldn't suspend me on her own. But she could keep me from going to dances with my girlfriend. And when we were caught kissing in the halls in eighth grade, mrs. Stone and the principal decided to enforce the rule that said kissing wasn't allowed in school and suspended us. I ended up going to high school in Citysville, just to get away from Mrs. Stone and everybody who had sided with her."   
"Where did you go Ms. Keane?" Andra asked.   
"I wasn't dating Miss Bellum back then. I was still trying to convince myself I like boys. I didn't get a girlfriend until college."   
"Where you met Miss Bellum?" Buttercup asked.   
Miss Bellum shook her head. "No, we've only been together for four years. Five in two months. Not everyone stays with their high school, or even middle school, sweetheart." Buttercup and Andra sent eachother panicked looks. "Some do," Miss Bellum assured them quickly. "But you two have your whole lives ahead of you. Perhaps you two will be fortunate and no one else will come between you. But I can't, in good conscience, let you believe that life will always be rosy for you. Either of you."   
Andra sighed. "I know, but. . . but it's nicer to think that Buttercup and I will be together forever. We'll have a house with a picket fence out in the country, we'll have a couple of kids, grow old together -"   
"Whoah, when were you going to inform _me_ of these plans?" Buttercup demanded.   
Andra laughed. "Eventually."   
"That might still happen, Andra," Ms. Keane said. "If Buttercup agrees, anyway," she added with a smile. "I don't think you need to worry about it much now. Enjoy your time together, and keep standing up to Mrs. Stone, and all will be well, for the time being." She glanced over at Miss Bellum, who's eyelids were drooping. "Perhaps it's time for you to go," Ms. Keane said quietly.   
"Tell her thanks for her help," Buttercup said as she and Andra followed Ms. Keane to the door.   
"And to get better soon," Andra added. "The Mayor was drowning in paper work when we left."   
"Ms. Keane laughed lightly. "I'm sure he was. I'll pass your messages on to Miss Bellum. It was nice to meet you, Andra, and good to see you again, Buttercup. Come back again soon, both of you."   
"We will," Buttercup assured her. She lifted Andra up. "See ya', Ms. Keane!" She flew off.   
Ms. Keane leaned against the door frame. "See you, girls," she said, "and good luck." 

***

Bubbles met Buttercup at the door of their house when Buttercup got home that afternoon. "Blossom got in a fight!" Bubbles declared.   
"What?!"   
"With Mitch an' Harry an' some other boys I didn't know. She took them on all by herself an' _won_ !"   
"What did she do that for?"   
"They were sayin' stuff 'bout you on the way home. They weren't at school anymore, so they were. . ." Bubbles paused for a moment to think. "Fair game. That's what Blossom called them."   
"Why would she start a fight over me?" Buttercup asked herself. "Andra's theory sprang up in Buttercup's mind again, but she pushed it away.   
"I dunno," Bubbles said. "But she beat those stupid boys up good."   
"Is Blossom okay?"   
"Some bruises an' stuff, but not as bad as the boys."   
Buttercup couldn't help grinning. "Go Blossom."   
"She told me to tell you she wants to see you. Like, now. She's up in our room, and won't let anyone in until she talks to you."   
"That's weird," Buttercup said. "Has the Professor talked to her yet?"   
"Just to try to get her to come out and explain what happened and why she locked herself in. She says she's fine, it's just very important that she talks to you. If she talks to anyone else, she says, she'll lose her nerve."   
Buttercup shook her head. "Blossom's weird. I'll go see her." She zipped pass Bubbles into the house and up the stairs, stopping at the door to the bedroom she shared with Blossom and Bubbles. "Hey, Blossom," she called as she knocked. "It's me."   
The door opened slowly, but Blossom wasn't standing behind it as Buttercup expected. "Blossom?" Buttercup asked as she floated in.   
The door shut, revealing Blossom, who'd been standing behind it. "Hi, Buttercup."   
The only sign Buttercup could see that Blossom had been in a fight was the small scratch along her jaw and the grass stain on her elbow. "Uh, Bubbles said you wanted to talk."   
Blossom sighed. "Yeah, sit down." Buttercup sat backwards in Blossom's desk chair while Blossom sat on her bed.   
"Bubbles told you about the fight too?" Blossom asked. Buttercup nodded. "She didn't hear what was said, she stayed back while I handled the boys. But some stuff got said that I'd rather you hear from me than from rumors tomorrow at school." Buttercup shifted in her chair while blossom took a deep breath.   
"Buttercup, I'm gay."   
Buttercup shrugged. "It really wouldn't surprise me if all three of us were."   
"And I like you."   
Buttercup stared. "Say _ what_?!"   
Blossom intently studied the quilt on her bed. "I like you," she repeated quietly. "You know. _Like_ ."   
_Andra was right!_ "Uh. Um. Kay."   
"I understand completely if you're grossed out," Blossom said quickly. "I mean, we haven't even known that we aren't related for a week and I'm dumping this on you. I'm still a little. . . weirded out, too."   
"Why did this come up during the fight?" Buttercup asked.   
"Mitch, or maybe it was Harry, made some accusations and I didn't deny them quick enough. I don't know, maybe I didn't even _want_ to deny what they said. Subconsciously, I mean. Before now the only people I'd told were the Professor and Miss Bellum."   
Buttercup smiled ruefully. "We throw a lot of crap at that woman. She shoulda been a shrink. Then she could get paid for all the help she gives us."   
Blossom smiled. "Yeah, I guess." She pulled a loose string from her quilt. "So you aren't, like, freaked out or anything?"   
"Not really. Andra actually told she suspected, y'know, this. So -" she stopped suddenly. "Blossom, I like Andra. I'm not going to dump her for you."   
"I know," Blossom said. "And I don't really want you to. For awhile I did, I guess. But you two obviously like eachother. I'd have major guilt if you broke up over me. But we're still friends, right?"   
"duh."   
"And if you and Andra should happen to break up. . ."   
buttercup leaned over and lightly hit Blossom on the arm. "Don't even think about it."   
There was a knock at the door, then Bubbles poked her head in. "Is everyone okay again?"   
Blossom smiled. "Yes, Bubbles. Everything's okay."


	21. And They All Lived. . .

PpG3 

Secrets and Surprises 

**Chapter 21 - And They All Lived. . .**

Blossom and Bubbles stayed with Buttercup and Andra the rest of the week, though there didn't seem to be a real need for them. Mitch and his gang were terrified of provoking Blossom again, as they had barely escaped trips to the hospital, though someone in that group apparently had the guts to start saying that Blossom was gay. But she took it in stride, and Mrs. Stone either didn't hear of it, or she chose to ignore it. She seemed to be ignoring Buttercup and Andra, so it made sense for her to avoid Blossom as well.   
So the four girls were together Friday morning when they saw the first signs advertising "The First Ever Townsville Junior High Prom!!!"   
"Ooh! Prom!" Bubbles squealed.   
"Prom, Shrom," Buttercup said. "They'll decorate the cafeteria badly, play bad music, and still expect us to pay money for it. School dances are the biggest waste of time and money ever."   
"You've never even _been_ to a school dance," Bubbles said.   
"So?"   
Andra put on a pout. "You wouldn't even go with me?"   
Buttercup blushed. She'd forgotten Andra was standing with her. "Uh, I'll have to think about it."   
Andra laughed. "Don't worry about it, Buttercup. After all, you've got two weeks to ask me."   
Buttercup turned a deeper shade of red. Blossom and Bubbles began to giggle along with Andra. By the time the warning bell rang, all four girls were in hysterics, for no reason other than to have fun. 

***

But Buttercup wasn't laughing that night in her bedroom. She paced in front of Blossom and Bubbles, who sat on their respective beds.   
"I don't think it's _possible_ to be a bigger idiot than I was," Buttercup lamented. "Andra likes dances and I went on about how awful they are. I totally blew my chances for a date."   
"No you didn't," blossom said. "Andra still hung out with us. She let you fly her home, she still talked to you and held your hand. She's smart. She's not going to break up with you because you don't have identical likes."   
"I should ask her to the dance, though. She obviously wants me to. But what if she thinks -"   
"Buttercup!" Blossom interrupted. "Stop stressing out about it!"   
"Yeah," Bubbles chimed in. "There's two weeks before the dance, anyway. You don't have to ask her tomorrow."   
"But I want to," Buttercup whined.   
"Then ask her!" Blossom said.   
Buttercup sat down on the nearest bed - Blossom's - and put her head in her hands. "My life is too complicated."   
"That's why I'm never going to have a boyfriend," Bubbles announced. "Or girlfriend," she added with a look to Buttercup.   
"So you say," Buttercup said.   
Blossom yawned. "Can we argue tomorrow? I want to go to sleep." 

***

On Monday, the Girls went back to their old arrangement for traveling to school. Buttercup left while Bubbles and Blossom were still eating breakfast. But by now Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup understood that they truly _were_ three different people, entitling them each to their own personal quirks.   
Buttercup had half expected a group of people to be harassing Andra by their locker, but the only one besides Andra there was Jilly Bean.   
"Bye, Andra!" Jilly called when she saw Buttercup, and she ran down the hall.   
"Did I suddenly catch cooties or something?" Buttercup asked Andra when she got to the locker.   
"No, of course not. She was just telling me something you might not like to hear."   
"Oh," Buttercup said. She opened the locker and began sorting out her books.   
"Don't you want to know what it is?" Andra asked.   
"'Course I do," Buttercup said. "But I figure rumors have cause us enough problems."   
"True," Andra said. "but according to Jilly, everyone else _knows _this already so. . ."   
Buttercup sighed. "So tell me."   
Andra grinned. "I knew you couldn't resist. Anyway, rumor is," she lowered her voice, " Blossom's gay."   
Buttercup shifted her backpack to her other shoulder. "Yeah, so?"   
Andra lightly smacked Buttercup's shoulder. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"   
Buttercup shrugged, then smiled mischievously. "I didn't want you to get a big head over being right."   
Andra laughed, then gasped. "Right? About. . . about everything?"   
Buttercup smiled ruefully. "About everything."   
"Oh boy," Andra said. "So, um, is this the part where you dump me?"   
"No way! Why would you think that?"   
"Well, there isn't a guy in this school who doesn't want to go out with her, every girl wants to be her friend, and several probably want more, they just won't admit it. Who wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this?"   
"Me!" Buttercup exclaimed. "God, me and Blossom a couple. I think we'd kill eachother within a week." Buttercup took a deep breath. "Actually, this is the part where I ask you to the Prom."   
Andra stared for a moment. "For real? I thought you hated dances."   
Buttercup shrugged. "Maybe I exaggerated a bit."   
"You don't _have_ to do this, Buttercup," Andra said quietly. "I don't mind, really."   
"But I do. So just give me an answer and put me out of my misery. I've never asked anyone out before."   
Andra smiled shyly. "I'd love to go to the Prom with you, Buttercup." 

***

Buttercup didn't tell anyone about her luck getting a date until late that evening. She and Blossom were getting ready for bed in their room, waiting for Bubbles to get out of the bathroom.   
"I asked Andra to the dance," Buttercup said casually as she pulled her nightgown over her head.   
"Really?" Blossom asked. "She said yes, right?"   
Buttercup smiled. "Yeah, she did."   
"Told you she would!"   
"I know. But, uh, I need your help again."   
Blossom sighed. "The hard part's over, Buttercup! What could you possibly need help with now?"   
"I don't exactly have anything to wear, and you know I can't shop. Would you help me?"   
Blossom beamed. "I'd be happy to."   
"But no pink," Buttercup warned. "And nothing poofy and girlie. And -"   
"Buttercup!" Blossom interrupted, laughing. "I know what you do and don't like. We'll find you something before the dance. But. . ."   
"But what?"   
"Why are you asking me? Bubbles is the clothes diva. And I. . . well, I figured you might want to avoid me for awhile. I mean, with the whole. . . thing."   
Buttercup shrugged. "I was tempted to ask Bubbles, but because she _is _the clothes diva, I don't want to spend a day at the mall with her. And I'm not avoiding you because what good would that do? It would get us into another argument and we'd end up hating eachother again. You may get on my nerves sometimes, and I was a little surprised by your announcement, but you're still my sister. Not literally, obviously -"   
"But I know what you mean," Blossom finished for Buttercup. She smiled. "Thanks, Buttercup. I needed that reassurance."   
"Yeah, no problem."   
"Aww, it's a Kodak moment!"   
Blossom and Buttercup jumped and looked behind themselves. Bubbles was standing in the bathroom doorway, her nightgown clinging to her still-wet body, her hair wrapped in a towel turban.   
"How long were you there?" Buttercup demanded.   
"Just to hear the part about Blossom still being your sister," Bubbles said as she floated to her bureau. "Why did I miss something really interesting?"   
"No," Buttercup said. "And no one asked you. Bathroom's mine!" she shouted, then flew to the bathroom, just barely beating Blossom.   
"So much for Kodak moment," Blossom said with a sigh. 

***

Buttercup stared at herself in the mirror. "Never again," she muttered.   
Blossom must have been trying to torment her. The dresses she handed over the top of the dressing room stall went from bad to worse.   
"Here's another one!" Blossom called.   
"Blossom, is there a dress in this store I _haven't_ tried on?" Buttercup demanded. She grabbed the dress from Blossom. "Orange? Blossom, are you nuts?"   
"Just try it on," Blossom said.   
"No way," Buttercup said. "You've already managed to get me into an almost pink dress -"   
"It was red!"   
"The orange would look even worse! Isn't there a black or a green dress out there that would fit me?"   
Blossom sighed. "I'll go look."   
buttercup busied herself while waiting for Blossom by hanging up her rejected dresses.   
"I found one black dress that might fit," Blossom called a few minutes later. "But I think it might be too small."   
"Just hand it over," Buttercup grumbled. She grabbed the dress Blossom tossed over and held it up to herself in front of the mirror. _Save myself some time by confirming it's a bad dress before putting it on._ But when she got a good look at the dress, she gasped.   
The short dress was actually two dresses. A lime-green silk one that matched Buttercup's eyes, then a black gauzy one over it that muted the shocking green, with hundreds of tiny black beads over it.   
Buttercup held her breath as she pulled the dress over her head. _Let it fit! Let it fit! Let it -_   
"Blossom! It fits!" Buttercup cried in triumph.   
"Really? Let me see!"   
Buttercup stepped out of the dressing room and spun around to model the dress. Blossom felt her breath catch in her throat. _Get it together, Blossom!_   
The dress did indeed fit. Barely. It was rather low cut and the skirt was barely long enough to meet school dress code standards, but it _did_ pass, which was all Buttercup cared about.   
"But it's gotta cost a fortune," Buttercup said with a wistful sigh, fingering the fringe of beads along the hem.   
"That why the Professor gave me _this_." Blossom held up a credit card. "He said to get both of us completely outfitted for the dance, no matter the cost?"   
"No price limit? Hm, a new stereo might be nice. Y'know, so I can practice my dance moves."   
"Somehow I don't think the Professor would approve," Blossom said. "So yes to the dress? Good. You get changed, I'm going to grab a couple dresses for myself." 

***

The evening before the Prom, no one in the Powerpuff Girls' room was getting any sleep, thanks to Buttercup.   
"Buttercup, keep still!" Blossom scolded a few minutes after their lights were turned out.   
"I'm not tired," Buttercup complained.   
"Just because _you're_ not tired doesn't mean you can keep the rest of us up with your tossing and turning!"   
"Fine," Buttercup grumbled. She lay back on her pillow and willed herself to go to sleep.   
An hour later she didn't feel any sleepier. She turned to her side, but that wasn't comfortable. She flipped to her other side, but that didn't help. She turned over again and promptly got a pillow thrown in her face by Bubbles. "Hey!"   
"Hey yourself," Bubbles whispered. "Some of us, even though we're just as nervous as you, want to sleep!"   
"Why are _you_ nervous?"   
"Duh, Mike Believe asked me to the Prom today at lunch. I've only been talking about it all afternoon!"   
"Sorry, I've been a bit - hey, wait! Whatever happened to never having a boyfriend?"   
"Um. . . that was _before_ Mike asked me."   
"Yeah, right."   
"Whatever," Bubbles said. "Hey, do you know what's up with Blossom?"   
"Um. . . no."   
Bubbles propped herself up on her side so she could look at Buttercup. "She's been acting weirder than usual the last couple days. Do you think she got a date for Prom?"   
Buttercup stifled a laugh, the thought of Blossom having a date seemed impossible to her. But then she remembered what Andra had said earlier. _There isn't a guy who doesn't want to go with her, every girl wants to be her friend, and several probably want more._ "Maybe she did."   
"She should have _told_ us. I mean, with the Professor renting that limo for us, we could have, like, triple dated!"   
"Mike doesn't mind Andra and I going together?"   
"If he did, do you think I would have agreed to go with him?" She giggled quietly. "You really _ are_ out of it, aren't you, Buttercup?"   
Buttercup sighed. "I am. I'm sorry, Bubbles. I'm beginning to think this Prom thing was a bad idea."   
"Not it's not, it's going to be fun! You'll get to be with Andra for a _whole_ evening. There'll be music an' dancing an' -"   
"And I'm going to hurt you two if you don't shut up!"   
Bubbles ducked under her blankets. "Sorry, Blossom."   
"Sorry," Buttercup muttered. She leaned back down. "Hey, Bubbles?"   
"What?" Bubbles whispered.   
"Thanks." 

***

"Oh my God, I'm going to pass out," Buttercup declared.   
"No you're not," Blossom said. She led Buttercup to the couch and sat her down. "Stay here, I'll call you when Andra gets here."   
"That's why I'm going to pass out," Buttercup said. "I'll take one look at her and it'll be lights out for me!"   
Blossom sat down beside Buttercup. "No, you won't. You're just nervous. When she shows up, you'll be too excited to want to miss a moment with her."   
The doorbell rang. "It's her!"   
"Calm down! It might be Mike, I'll go see." Blossom flew to the front door. A moment later, Buttercup heard Blossom calling for Bubbles. Mike was here.   
"Can't we just get this evening over with?" Buttercup grumbled.   
The doorbell rang again. Without Blossom there to hold her down, Buttercup was off the couch and at the door before anyone else could answer the door.   
Buttercup opened the door, and the moment she saw Andra, her jaw dropped. It felt like their first 'date' all over again. Andra had chosen to go all out for Prom, choosing to wear an actual Prom gown. Her blue and silver gown reminded Buttercup of Cinderella's ball gown. Andra had pinned her hair up in some complicated way with tiny white roses in it at random. Buttercup's hair was too short to do anything other than make sure it lay flat on her head.   
"Uh, hi," Buttercup said. "You look. . . beautiful."   
Andra blushed. "So do you."   
"Don't keep her standing there, Buttercup!" Blossom scolded. "Let her in! The Professor wants pictures of you guys."   
"Sounds like the old Blossom is back," Andra whispered as she walked with Buttercup to the living room where the others were waiting.   
"No, she's a whole different person now, trust me," Buttercup said.   
FLASH!   
Buttercup jumped. "Professor! Get that stupid camera away from me! I don't want a photo record of how awful I look!"   
"You don't look awful," Andra and Blossom said in unison, then both girls blushed.   
"Just a few more," the Professor promised. "I've already taken the pictures of Bubbles and Mike, I need pictures of you and Andra now."   
"You already have on, you don't need anymore," Buttercup grumbled as Andra pulled her toward the fireplace.   
"You look beautiful, and _I_ want a photo record of this," Andra said stubbornly. "Now smile."   
With Andra holding her hand like she was, it wasn't hard for Buttercup to smile.   
The Professor took several pictures of Buttercup and Andra, then a couple of them with Bubbles and Mike. When the Professor announced he had just three pictures left, Buttercup noticed Blossom was standing off the side behind him, trying to look happy when she obviously wasn't.   
"Blossom's turn for a picture!" Buttercup announced. She grabbed Blossom's arm and dragged her to the fireplace.   
"No," Blossom protested. "I'm going single. You don't take pictures of the girl going stag!"   
"You do now," Buttercup said. "We're getting a picture of you and me, then with Bubbles, then all of us together, and you're going to like it."   
"Yes, ma'am," Blossom said. She and Buttercup looked to the camera and smiled. The Professor took the picture, then the one of the Powerpuff Girls together. Just as he finished taking the picture of all five kids, they heard a car pull up in the driveway.   
"The limo!" Bubbles announced. "C'mon, let's go!" She grabbed Mikes hand and began to fly to the door.   
"AAAAHHH!" Mike screamed.   
"Bubbles! Wait!" the Professor called after her.   
Bubbles stopped inches from the door. "Oops, sorry, Mike," she said and gently set him on the ground again. Mike rubbed his shoulder as his knees shook slightly.   
"Now you all have your tickets, right?" the Professor asked.   
"Yes," five voices answered together.   
"Well, then, I guess all that's left for me to say is to have fun. Be good."   
"We will," they all answered. They lined up at the door where the Professor was either giving them a goodbye kiss on the top of their heads (for the Powerpuff Girls), or a handshake (for Mike and Andra).   
When Buttercup and Andra, the last two in the line, had gotten into the limo, the driver lowered the window that separated him from them. "Where to, sir, madams?"  
They all giggled a little before answering together "Prom!" 

***

Bubbles, Mike, Buttercup, Andra and Blossom entered the high school's gym, the location chosen for Prom because it was much better than any of the junior high's facilities, together. Buttercup had been expecting really loud, really bad music, but at the time they entered the song was decent and playing at a moderate level. But she'd been right about the decorations. Someone had put up multi-colored streamers and balloons, pretty much at random.   
Andra didn't think it looked so bad. "A rainbow-themed Prom. coincidence? Or planned for a very special couple?" Buttercup smiled slightly.   
"Hey, Ms. Keane is here!" Bubbles squealed.   
"Where?" Blossom asked.   
"Over by Miss Bellum!"   
"Do you think they came together?" Andra asked Buttercup after Blossom, Bubbles and Mike ran over to say hi.   
Buttercup shrugged. "Ms. Keane may have invited her, 'cause I think technically, only school employees can chaperone dances."   
"That'd be so cool if they did come together," Andra said. "Hey, Blossom's coming back, maybe she knows what they're doing here."   
Blossom answered the question before she was asked. "They were running short on female chaperones so they asked Ms. Keane to help out, and she said she knew someone else who could help."   
Buttercup laughed. "And then they showed up together, when it was too late for Mrs. Stone to object!"   
"Why would Mrs. Stone object?" Blossom asked. "As a matter of fact, why _did_ Ms. Keane think to bring Miss Bellum?" She glanced at Ms. Keane and Miss Bellum, then glared at Buttercup and Andra. "You know what's going on, don't you?"   
Andra laughed. "You have to ask Miss Bellum for the story. Now enough talking. I want to dance!" Andra turned to lead Buttercup onto the dance floor, but blocking her way was Jilly Bean.   
"Um, hi, Andra. Buttercup," she said. "Um, Blossom? There's a group dancing over there, all single girls, and since I saw your sisters both have dates, I was wondering if you'd like to join us?"  
Blossom forgot about pressing Buttercup and Andra for answers. "I'd love to, Jilly. See ya' later!" she said to Buttercup and Andra as she ran across the gym with Jilly, their high heeled shoes clicking on the hard wood floor.   
Just as Buttercup and Andra stepped on to the dance floor, the music changed from an up beat pop number to a slow ballad. Couples around the gym moved closer and began swaying in time to the music.   
Buttercup and Andra stared at eachother for a moment, not sure what to do. "Oh, what the heck," Buttercup muttered. She bowed to Andra. "Shall we dance?"   
Andra curtsied slightly in return. "I'd love to." She put her arms around Buttercup's shoulders, while Buttercup put hers around Andra's waist and pulled her close.   
Andra laid her head on Buttercup's shoulder. "It looks like this story's going to end happily ever after for everyone."   
Buttercup smiled as she caught the furious look on Mrs. Stone's face. "Except for Mrs. Stone. I don't think she likes us being here."   
"Or maybe it's Ms. Keane and Miss Bellum she doesn't like. They're holding hands!"   
"No way!" Buttercup said. She spun Andra around so she could see. "they are! I can't believe it."   
"So Bubbles has Mike, Miss Bellum has Ms. Keane, I have you, what more could we ask for?"   
"Someone for Blossom," Buttercup said with a sigh. "I feel kinda guilty. I treated her like crap for a long time, when her only crime was liking me."   
"So both of you made some mistakes, so what? You're both only human, even if you're in that Chemical X ethnic group." She paused for a moment. "Anyway, Blossom may have a dance partner before the end of the night. That group of girls looks pretty friendly."   
"Think Mrs. Stone would try to suspend her star student for being gay?"   
"I don't think she's going to suspend anyone again. Mom talked to the school board and we're not the only ones who have complaints against her. She's getting fired at the end of the year."   
"I've got good news, too," Buttercup said. "I was flying home from the monster attack the other day and saw a 'For Rent' sign in front of Ms. Keane's apartment."   
"That could be a reason they came together. How cool would it be if they got to be together officially?"  
"Then the story would definitely end happily ever after."   
Andra sighed. "I hope it can. For me and you. For them. For Blossom. For all of us."   
Before Buttercup could lose her nerve, she pulled away from Andra just enough to get Andra to lift her head, then kissed her, with the whole school there around them. "If I have any say in it, if the story has to end at all, it will be nothing but happy."   
Andra smiled, then laid her head back on Buttercup's shoulder. The slow song had ended, but they didn't care. 

**FINISH******

_Author's Notes: Oh. My God. This monster is finished! I feel like I'm accepting an Oscar or a Tony here, I have so many people I'd like to thank. Everyone from the PPGSlash list who offered support in the early days of the story (Can you believe I first posted this in APRIL?!). Reader-wise, I have to thank Tifu who has conversed with me through countless e-mails during the course of this story. I love ya', hon! You helped me so much! I also have to thank wickedclowns101 and Sabrina, empress of insanity, for their long reviews and replies to my e-mails. And. . . and. . .oh, I don't know who else to thank. If you're reading this now, I thank you tons. And even more thanks if you review. Leave me a nice long one with your thoughts on the entire fic, and suggestions for future fics featuring Buttercup and Andra, because I love these two so much I don't want this to be the last fic about/featuring them. Leave me a review that's longer than one line, along with an e-mail address, and I promise I'll get back to you._   
_~wipes away a tear~ I'm so sad, finishing this fic up. It's been such a huge part of my writing life for so long. But I guess it's time to bid this fic adieu, and hope that inspiration for the next one comes soon._   
  



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